


The Bet

by JustSomeGirl92



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of past abuse, Smut, University AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-26
Updated: 2017-10-28
Packaged: 2019-01-23 16:52:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 25,282
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12511912
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustSomeGirl92/pseuds/JustSomeGirl92
Summary: Keith has been written off as a no good punk since high school. Lance is bright, friendly and likable but most of all he sees who Keith really is behind the label. But when Keith finds out that Lance may only be pretending to like him to win a bet, can Lance prove his love is real?





	1. Hello, again

**Author's Note:**

> Don't bother reading this if you're looking for too many surprises. Everything is more or less predictable. Typical university AU where everyone went o high school together but moved to the nearby big city to attend a really good university because our babies are all so smart. Keith is a music major, Lance studies marine biology. Hunk is in engineering and Pidge is in computer science. There will be smut and of course some angst but also lots of fluff. Anything potentially triggering will come with a warning in advance.

Keith Kogane was the typical bad boy. He didn’t fit in with anyone at school and he didn’t seem to care. He didn’t make it much of a secret that he didn’t like people and didn't hesitate to let them know. Most people knew enough to stay away from him. Takashi Shirogane had been the complete opposite. He was friendly, helpful and popular. It tended to come as a shock that they were brothers.   
“Wait, What?!”  
“He’s my brother,” Keith repeated, seeming not to notice the shocked expression on Lance’s face. The other boy made a noise like he’s about to say something but simply continues to stare.  
“Shiro’s my foster brother,” Keith clarifies, speaking slow like Lance’s in an idiot. “How do you know him?”  
Keith eyed the boy in front of him suspiciously. Why was he asking how he knew Shiro and how was that even his business anyway? He tended not to trust without good reason and this conversation was getting his guard up.  
“He tutored me when I was still in Elementary. Came over from the high school three times a week,” Lance replied, oblivious to the look on Keith’s face. “I-I haven’t seen him since he graduated high school….”   
Keith could read between the lines. He knew what Lance was thinking, what Lance wanted to ask. What happened to him? That wasn’t Keith’s story to tell. He should have known when Lance approached him this morning, popular, funny, attractive Lance with the nice smile and ridiculously long legs, equally ridiculously blue eyes…. He wasn’t interested in anything to do with Keith himself.   
“I have to go,” Keith cut in quickly, averting his gaze and pushing past Lance to head into the university building.  
“What was all that about?” Hunk asked, coming up beside Lance as they both watched Keith go.   
“I saw my old tutor, remember Shiro?”  
Hunk’s face lit up and he smiled at the name.  
“Yea! I remember him!” He looked at Lance questioningly, wondering how that might connect to Keith storming away after a brief conversation. Lance sighed, turning to fully face his best friends and let his easy going grin return.   
“He dropped Keith off. He said hi. He looks….he’s...well something happened to him...Anyway I asked Keith how he knows Shiro and I guess they’re brothers…”  
Hunk just nodded, looking thoughtful before shaking his head. “Okay, that makes sense, I guess. I knew Keith has been with a foster family since high school. I didn’t realise it was the Shiroganes though…” It looked as though he was about to say more but decided against it.

“What the fuck is he doing here again?”  
“Keith, that’s not nice,” Shiro chided his little brother as he parked the car. “Who are you talking about?”  
“Lance,” Keith pointed to the tall Cuban boy leaning against the fence and looking at his phone.  
“He’s waiting for his class or something,” Shiro said, unsure of what Keith was so upset about. Suddenly Lance looked up and Shiro waved.  
“He...he was asking me questions yesterday,” Keith glared back at Lance.  
“How dare he?” Shiro deadpanned.  
“About you! He wants me to tell him….To tell him what…”  
Shiro sighed and took his hands off the wheel to face Keith.   
“I’m not ashamed, Keith. People look at me all the time. I would rather they just ask then stare at me while pretending not to. You can just tell him. I knew Lance from-”  
“Yea, from tutoring him. He told me. But he can just ask you himself then,” Keith said stubbornly. He got out and closed the door, taking off past Lance without looking back at either of them.  
Lance watched Keith walk past before turning to Shiro and then back to Keith, almost out of sight at this point. Lance waved quickly before turning and running after his classmate.   
Shiro smiled to himself, doubting that Keith even realized Lance’s interest wasn’t for his big brother.  
“Hey, wait up!”  
Keith did his best to ignore him, not raising his head and certainly not turning around. Even for Lance, with his track and field training, it was hard to keep up. Finally he cornered Keith just outside the cafe.  
“Hey man, I just wanted to-”  
“Leave me alone.”  
Keith slammed his backpack onto one of the tables and started rooting around for something. Lance was doubled over, his hands on his knees as he caught his breath so it took him a moment to respond.  
“I’m sorry! I wanted to apologize for yesterday. You’re right, man. I shouldn't ask you. But hey, I was just wondering if like...maybe I could come over to your house or something. Like to hang out. I’d like to see Shiro and-”  
“Are you serious?” Keith shouted, slamming a textbook on the table and making Lance jump. “You want to use me to get to my brother?”  
Lance wasn’t able to get out a single word before Iverson was on them both  
“What do you think you’re doing? Students are actually trying to work here.”  
Keith didn’t respond but the look on his face was murderous.  
“It was my fault! I was getting too riled up again. All that red bull!,” Lance quickly jumped in and tried to inject some humour before anything major happened. He did feel bad for pissing Keith off when he had just been trying to mind his own business.  
Keith pushed past him roughly, stocking off to class without a word. Lance watched him go.  
“You shouldn’t be associating with him, Mcclain. Not of you want to stay in school. This is already his second chance and he’s on thin ice.”

“Wait, Iverson really said that?” Hunk seemed surprised. Lance nodded, looking down at his best friend from the high windowsill where he was perched, one leg bent at the knee and letting the other dangle.  
“Yea. As much as he hates me, he’s really got it in for Keith.”  
“He did look like he was in an even worse mood than usual in English today, Keith I mean. He always sort of looks a little sour and he stays at the back by himself but today was like….major emo vibes, dude.”  
“Really?” Lance felt even worse as Hunk nodded and handed him one of his famous home made sandwiches. He couldn't even fully enjoy the deliciousness that was Hunk’s cuisine. He really should have known better. Keith didn’t like anyone. It shouldn't have been much of a surprise he didn’t like Lance who tended to grate on people’s nerves at the best of times. It also shouldn’t have bothered him, but it did. Something nagged at Lance and he found himself getting an idea.

Lance spent most of the afternoon waiting around the music room. With nothing else to do, he actually managed to get quite a bit of work done in between glancing up at the doors. Seriously though, how much did Keith even need to practice? Music majors were crazy.   
When Keith finally came through the doors, guitar case in hand, Lance slammed the lid of his laptop down and shoved it in his bag before leaping around the coffee table he’d just been using as his work surface.  
“Keith!”  
Lance was prepared for another rousing chase but this time Keith turned and faced him full on, stopping in his tracks. He fixed Lance with a bone chilling glare. “Shiro’s not home yet. He’s still at work. I’m walking.”  
Lance waved it off, shaking his head and trying not to make eye contact.  
“Look, Keith, I’m really sorry. I know that came out totally wrong. Yea, I’d like to catch up with Shiro but like….I dunno man I just thought…..We were sort of friends back in ninth grade, right?”  
Keith looked at him quizzically for a long time and Lance shifted uncomfortably. “No we weren’t. All you ever said to me was how you were going to beat me at everything. You said I was your number one enemy.”  
“Hey, I never said enemy. I said rival. It’s different. Besides, you were always good at everything…”  
The look on Keith’s face told Lance that he was getting nowhere. “Okay, man well I really just wanted to apologise for this morning. It came out really really wrong. I didn’t mean it like that, okay?”  
Keith stared at him long and hard before nodding. He must have found whatever he was looking for because something Lance couldn't identify flashed across his face and it almost looked as though Keith were embarrassed….  
“Yea. Sorry. I-I didn’t mean to overreact. I just...read it wrong. I’m sorry.”  
Lance was speechless. Keith was….apologising?  
“Hey, man. You don’t have to apologize. I mean, it was my bad, dude.”  
Keith continued to look somewhat confused but simply nodded. He wasn’t making eye contact though he did seem to be trying. Lance took pity and cleared his throat, signaling an end to the conversation.  
“So, um I’m gonna meet Hunk for dinner in a little bit. Did you wanna grab something to eat at the cafeteria or..?”  
Keith looked as though he were considering it but shook his head.   
“Thanks but I have to get home. I-” He looked like he was struggling for an explanation but Lance waved it off.  
“Yea, sure. Maybe another time. I’ll catch you later!”  
Lance waved before hurrying off down the long hallway. Keith watched him go.

“What took you so long?” Hunk asked once Lance sat down across from him at the cafeteria table.  
“I managed to catch Keith outside the music room and apologise. He’s actually…” Lance paused, mentally going over their brief conversation. “...A cool guy.”  
“Keith?” the small brunette beside Hunk piped up. “You mean Kogane? Oh, I’m Pidge by the way.”  
“Ah, Pidge! Hunk’s study buddy right?” Lance’s face lit up with recognition. “You’re in like computer science or something and you skipped a few grades?” Pidge nodded her head and Lance answered her question. “Uh, yea. Keith Kogane. We went to highschool with him. Why?”  
“Oh, just that everyone around here seems to think he’s this scary punk guy that drinks and does drugs all the time,” she shrugged, taking a huge bite off mashed potato and savouring it.  
Lance and Hunk exchanged a look.“And...he’s not? You know him?”  
Pidge seemed surprised that they were still on this topic but nodded her head slowly, swallowing the food in her mouth before answering. “Yea. My brother Matt was best friend’s with Keith’s brother when they were in University,” the girl replied, seemingly oblivious to the shocked expressions on Lance and Hunk’s faces.  
“So, have you...seen Shiro recently?” Lance asked, trying to sound casual.  
“No. Not since he got back. He enlisted and was a pilot for a while but Matt said he had an accident and was discharged. I guess it was pretty bad but he’s working as a flight mechanic somewhere around here now.”  
“That must have been why Keith….” Hunk trailed off, looking at Lance.  
Last year while they were all in their first year of university, Keith had mysteriously dropped out. No one knew why and none of the teachers said anything. The popular assumption was that he had been kicked out. A hundred different rumours cropped up, each more outlandish than the last. He’d come to school wasted. He’d been doing drugs in the library. He’d been caught having an affair with a teacher. All of them no more than speculation. Then when he’d reappeared at the beginning of the year and started making up for the classes he’d dropped, rumors started again.   
Suddenly, Lance’s phone beeped, startling him out of his thoughts. He jumped dramatically and flailed, making Hunk and Pidge laugh and Hunk tell him for the millionth time that he should have been a drama major rather than minor. Lance huffed and picked up his phone to see a Facebook notification.   
“Keith accepted my friend request.” 

Lance: So how come you don’t have to live on campus even though you’re technically a first year?

Keith: They make allowances if you’re living with family.

It had been about a week since Keith accepted Lance’s Facebook friend request. At first there was some very awkward back and forth but Lance was good at awkward and after asking a few random questions that seemed to amuse Keith, their conversation began flowing effortlessly. 

Keith: Aren’t you working on your bio paper?

Lance: I can multitask!

Keith: How much have you written?

Lance: Since I started two hours ago? Half a page.

Keith: :/

Lance: Hey that’s good for only two hours!

Keith: :/

Lance: Whatever dude!

Keith: :/

“How’s Lance doing?”  
“He’s fine.”  
Keith took the hint and placed his phone face down on the table beside him. Shiro tried to hide his amused smile as Keith turned his full attention to his dinner.  
“It’s nice to see you making some friends,” Shiro prompted, watching carefully for his brother’s reaction. Keith only shrugged in response before taking a huge bite of pasta.  
“Why don’t you invite him over or something?”  
Keith shrugged again, his mouth full.  
“Do you hang out at school?”  
Again, the only response Shiro received was a shrug.   
“What is this, twenty questions?” Keith demanded with a grumble. Shiro laughed and shook his head.   
“I know you won’t tell me unless I ask, so I’m asking!”  
Keith knew his brother had a point there so he couldn’t really argue. When his phone alert went off again, Keith purposely ignored it.  
“Gonna get that?” Shiro asked, eyebrows raised.  
“I’m eating.”  
“That didn’t stop you just now.”  
Keith looked up and glared but Shiro only grinned. 

“Hey, wait up!”  
Keith didn’t even slow his pace, walking with his head down and not looking at anyone else. Lance was fast and he had longer legs, but Keith was having an easier time navigating the crowd. Everyone sort of moved out of his way after catching a glimpse of the dark look on his face.   
“KEITH!” Lance practically screeched as he reached out a hand towards the other boy’s shoulder. He was too far to actually touch him but Keith froze in that moment, whipping his head around, his eyes wide and staring. Every muscle in his body was clenched and Lance was vividly reminded of a caged animal. He retracted his hand quickly and pasted a smile to his face. Keith’s body instantly relaxed as he saw who it was, recognition flooding his features. He looked relieved and didn’t even notice the people around them were snickering a little at Lace’s outburst.   
“Jeez, man! Didn’t you hear me?” Lance brushed it off easily. If there was once thing Lance McClain could do it was brush off embarrassment.   
“Yea. I...didn’t think you were talking to me….”Keith stood still as Lance approached and then looked at him expectantly. Clearly he was under the impression that Lance wanted something. Of course, why else would he make a fool of himself in the middle of the hallway? The problem was, Lance really hadn't had a plan at all. He saw Keith and wanted to say hello. Naturally he had to make a spectacle out of them both and now Keith was standing there, watching him, probably thinking what an idiot he was.   
“Are you….going to the drama building?” Keith offered a lifeline and Lance grabbed for it.  
“Yea! I thought you might be going to the music room.” Lance pointed to Keith’s guitar case. The dark haired boy glanced at it and then nodded. Without another word, they began walking together in silence. Normally Lance felt he should fill it with words but it seemed as though Keith wasn’t much for talking. In fact, Lance got the impression that he was lucky just to be walking next to the shorter boy. Their silence was more companionable than anything and something about it made Lance’s chest feel tight.   
“Did you do your paper?” Keith asked.  
Lance had to do a double take and almost jumped out of his skin. His brain turned to mush when he turned and saw Keith’s dark eyes looking up at him expectantly. Were they always that big and open? He had always thought everything about Keith was so closed off and secretive but there was something about those eyes that just….  
“Your bio paper?”Keith prompted and Lance realized he had been silently staring at him the whole time. They stopped in front of the music room and Lance shook his head vigorously.   
“Um...Not yet. Gonna work on it...tonight.”  
Keith nodded and shrugged.  
“Good luck.”  
Lance waved at Keith as he watched him disappear behind the door, swearing under his breath in Spanish. 

“Dude have you like, got a crush on him?”  
Lance dropped his phone on his face and cursed, rubbing his nose. He turned from his back to his side on his bed, looking across the room at Hunk working on something with a bunch of wires on his desk.   
“Who?”  
“Keith. That’s who you’re talking too, right?”  
“Yea, but….A CRUSH?!? Dude, where did that even come from?”  
Hunk shrugged and turned back to whatever the hell he was doing. It took him a moment to answer as he seemed to be concentrating. “You’re acting like you did in first year with Nyma until she totally broke your heart. I saw you walk him to the music room today.”  
“She did not! I barely even liked her at all. I just thought she was cute! She was the one flirting with me to make her boyfriend jealous!” Lance started before realizing what else his best friend had just insinuated. “I did not walk him! We were just walking together!”  
Hunk sighed, his voice and expression suddenly much softer. He had felt so bad for Lance. His relationships tended to be pretty painful but Hunk had told him it was because Lance loved with his whole heart and there was nothing to be ashamed of in that. One day someone was going to return that love and treat him the way he deserved.  
“Right. Right. I just...Maybe you should be careful, especially if he’s not into guys…”  
“Hunk I do not like Keith that way. Not even in the slightest. And besides, he is into guys. He’s gay.”  
“What? No he’s not.”  
“Hunk which one of us has the most experience picking up these clues?”  
“That’s true...But still. Just be careful, Lance. Oh, and ask him if he’s having trouble with that English paper and wants to meet up to work on it.”  
Lance nodded as he picked up his phone again, looking at the reply from Keith.  
“Will do, buddy. Will do.”

Lance: Hunk booked study room A!!!!

Keith: Is that...the best one?

Lance: What? I dunno I guess it’s not the worst

Keith: Why so many exclamations?

Lance Why not? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Keith: wtf?

“What does she mean by the ‘themes’ of this dumb book?” Keith asked with a sigh. He and Hunk were trying their best to get their English essay done but it was not coming easy. Lance wasn’t much of a help either. He was a bit loud for someone supposedly needing to finish their bio paper that night.  
“Oh lord, who knows? This is not my area…”  
The whiteboard in the study room was covered in marker from the two of them brainstorming but they were both two pages away from the minimum and scrambling for more to add.   
“It says here there’s something about the eyes on the billboard being the eyes of God? Did we say anything like that?” Keith asked, looking over his laptop at Hunk.  
“No! Thank you google!” Hunk clasped his hands together and looked up at the ceiling in mock prayer before joining Keith furiously typing away.A loud groan from Lance drew their attention to him once again.  
“We’re almost done,” Keith replied without looking up. “I’m drawing this out as much as possible. The quote I got is like four lines but I think I’m gonna need some more fluffing…”  
“That’s what he said!” Lance shouted, suddenly sitting bolt upright in his chair.   
Keith gave him a side glance and Hunk groaned.   
“How is your paper coming?” Keith asked accusingly.  
Lance didn’t hear at first, distracted by something he could see in the main library. Keith glanced over his shoulder at the glass wall and saw two girls sitting close, their heads together and whispering something while looking right at him. It seemed as though Lance’s outburst had drawn attention to them.  
“Why are they pointing at you?” Hunk asked, peering over Keith’s shoulder.   
“Dunno,” Keith shrugged. “Don’t care.”   
It nagged at the back of Lance’s mind for the next hour, despite the girls having left much earlier. When they finally left, only a handful of people were still there.  
“Night,” Keith waved, shoving his hands into the pocket of his hoodie as he started heading in the opposite direction.   
“Wait, you want us to walk with you?” Lance called.   
Keith paused and looked over his shoulder. “Where?”  
“Uh...Home?” Hunk replied, tilting his head.  
“I’m good,” Keith waved and turned back. “Thanks.”  
“Sure, dude,” Lance shrugged and turned to Hunk who did the same.   
“You’re right, he is a cool dude.”  
“What?”  
“Before. You said Keith is actually a pretty cool dude,” Hunk reminded his best friend. “He is.”  
Lance was quiet for a few moments, thinking about something.   
“Yea. I think...maybe everyone got him wrong…”


	2. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith reveals part of his past to Lance for the first time. There are mentions of past abuse towards a minor and elements of non con. Don't worry, I will put a warning before that point so you can skip it if necessary.

Lance: At this point in the semester I’m just getting bi

Lance: Get it?? Because I’m bi?!?

Keith: I get it but dude it’s still September...

Keith: I didn’t know you were bi though

Lance: Oh. Most people know. I didn’t hide it on purpose

Keith: It’s cool. I’m not good at picking up on that stuff

Keith: I’m gay

Lance: I thought so!!!

Keith: What?

Lance: I was sure you were but Hunk said no and he said it was rude to ask but I think he just knew that he was wrong!!

Keith: guess so

Lance: You part of the LGBTQ club?

Keith: Nah. School clubs aren’t my thing

Lance: Right

Lance: What is your thing? Like besides guitars?

Keith: Space stuff I guess? And bikes

Lance: Like...bicycles?

Keith: Motorcycles

Lance: Dude do you have one??

Keith: Yea but I haven’t got insurance on it. It’s at my foster parents place

Lance: That’s so cool! Do you work on it yourself?

Keith: Yea. You know Shiro was discharged after the accident right?

Lance: Yea

Keith: He was pretty down on himself after leaving the hospital. He was always the strong one and I didn’t know how to be there for him but he’s always been the kind of guy with a purpose and just sitting at home every day was killing him so I started working on the bike. I had a vague idea what I was doing but I really needed his help and it gave him something to do with his days. 

Lance: I see why it's hard for you to talk about

Keith: I’m not good at expressing myself and whatever. Sorry. 

Lance: you don’t have to apologize, Keith. It’s fine. You don’t have to talk about anything you don’t want to

Keith: The bike gave me a way to talk to Shiro about what happened and what he was going through. It was just the two of us in the garage and we had something else to occupy us.

Lance: I totally get it, dude

Keith: Thanks, Lance

“Let’s go out!”  
The slam of Lance’s laptop made Hunk jump. Pidge glanced over her own laptop and eyed Lance curiously.  
“Where?” she asked suspiciously.  
“The bar, duh! Let’s get a few drinks, my dudes! Friday night is still young. What do you say? Remember Lotor from my drama class? He told me about this place called the Galra. Let’s check it out!”  
“I think I’m good. My brother would skin me alive,” Pidge said, yawning and stretching. “That place has a pretty bad rep. Not really my thing anyways.” She wiped her bleary eyes and closed her laptop. “I think I’d pass out before we even got there.” Gathering her bag, Pidge waved good bye. Once she was out the door, Lance turned to his best friend expectantly.   
Hunk shook his head in what he thought was a firm manner but Lance could see the curiosity in his expression.  
“Aw, come on!” Lance chided, giving one of his most winning smiles.   
Half an hour later found them both on their second drink at the bar.   
“Please dance with me!!” Lance whined for what seemed like the hundredth time. Hunk was still refusing to set foot on the dance floor.  
“No way! These people are nuts, Lance! They’re falling all over and spilling their drinks. It looks sticky.”  
Lance pouted but even the puppy dog eyes weren’t working this time. He opened his mouth, about to make a heartfelt plea when a sudden hand on his shoulder made Lance jump and spin around.   
“Lance?”  
“Keith?”   
He blended in well, leaning against the wall with his leather jacket and fingerless gloves. No one even looked at him twice. His eyes still darted around the room nervously, like he was expecting someone to be looking for him.  
“You came!!”  
“That’s what she said,” Keith tried out one of Lance’s immature jokes, the corner of his mouth moving up awkwardly as he silently asked for approval. Lance stared at him before bursting into laughter. Keith seemed relieved that he had managed to get it right and smiled softly.  
“It’s kinda hard to refuse Lance’s begging, isn’t it?” Hunk joked, clapping Keith on the back. Even though it was friendly, it still almost made Keith’s knees buckle under him.   
“I don’t beg!” Lance huffed and folded his arms.   
“You sent me six messages in a row…”  
Lance struggled to defend that one but it didn’t matter. Anything he said would have been drowned out by the sound of Hunk’s laughter. It didn’t bother him for long as the opening of Gasolina played through the clubs speakers and Lance’s face lit up, everything else pushed from his mind at the feel of the thumping bass.  
“Oh my god!! Hunk, please!!! I HAVE to dance to this! PLEASE!”  
“I’ll go,” Keith downed the rest of his drink and wiped his mouth before grinning. “Just buy me another drink after.”  
“Gladly!”  
Unsurprisingly, Lance was pretty graceful. But Lance hadn’t expected Keith to actually have any rhythm, let alone be such a great dancer. The alcohol, heat and general atmosphere of the place were all working together and before long the two went from fluidly dancing to grinding against each other.   
Lance reached behind him, hands tangling in Keith’s thick, dark hair as he pushed himself back against Keith’s crotch, warm breath ghosting over his neck. At one point Lance was sure they were about to kiss but never did. Suddenly, he felt Keith stiffen.  
“Let’s get that drink,” he whispered in Lance’s ear. It had been about four songs already and Hunk was probably getting worried. As much as Lance wanted to continue dancing with Keith for the rest of his life, he knew they should take a break.   
Without waiting for a response, Keith quickly led Lance off the dance floor and back to the bar. Only once Hunk had handed them both another drink and they were all sitting comfortably on an old leather couch at the back, did Lance ask if everything was okay.  
“Yea. Just gotta text Shiro again. I’m telling him I’m at your dorm. We’re working late.”  
Keith looked almost sheepish when he admitted to lying and Lance grinned. Before he had a chance to comment, they were interrupted by a tall man with dark hair and piercing eyes. Lance was getting really bad vibes from this guy and it had nothing to do with his tattoos and piercings.   
“Keith? I thought that was you! What are you up to, I haven't seen you around for awhile!” He seemed genuinely happy to see the younger man. He eyed the other two curiously.   
Lance couldn’t fail to notice how Keith’s demeanor drastically changed. His eyes darted around the room and Lance recognized that look of a trapped animal. Keith was scared….  
“Yea, I’m uh, back at school…”  
“Actually we have to get back there,”’ Lance interrupted, downing his drink and motioning for Keith to do the same. The alcohol flooded both their systems quickly and made them slightly light headed. “It was nice to meet you. Sorry we gotta leave so soon. You know how it is.”  
“Oh, yea,” the mystery man said. He didn’t get a chance to say anything more as Lance grabbed Keith’s arm and marched him outside. Hunk followed, calling a taxi as they walked. About a block away, Lance stopped. He was watching Keith, to see when he felt safe enough to stop.  
“Thanks..” Keith said softly, not meeting Lance’s eye.   
“You knew him?”  
“Yea.”  
When Keith didn’t offer any more than that, Lance dropped it and changed the subject.“Hey, are you coming back with us or do you want us to drop you at your place?”   
“Uh, I’ll go with you and walk back.”  
“Sounds good!”  
The taxi didn’t take very long but they were all chilled by the time they slid into the back. Keith had given Lance his leather jacket as they stood on the street and he made to give it back now that they were in a heated vehicle. Keith held up a hand and shook his head.  
“Thanks,” Lance said softly, curling back into it as he sat in the middle.  
Keith was lost in thought and barely seemed to hear him. He just nodded and made a noise of acknowledgement. Hunk closed his eyes and rested his head against the opposite window. Lance glanced to his left. watching Hunk’s peaceful face with the streetlights drifting across it before shyly shifting towards the right and pressing his side into Keith’s arm. When he turned towards Lance, Keith almost seemed surprised he was there. His face change to a soft smile and he put his arm around Lance’s shoulders. 

“Night, Keith,” Hunk yawned, giving a sleepy wave as he tactfully slipped into the room and left them some privacy in the hallway.  
“Night,” Keith replied. He was always pretty quiet but Lance hadn’t seen him quite like this before. He’d been withdrawn since leaving the club but at the same time he’d had his arm around Lance and been more physically close than ever before.   
Keith stood with his arms crossed and his back against the wall. His eyes were far away, clearly not seeing what was in front of him.  
“Here you go, dude,” Lance said, keeping his voice light and comfortable as he slipped out of Keith’s jacket, handing it back.  
“Thanks,” Keith said, pushing off from the wall. Their hands touched as Keith took the jacket and slid it over his shoulders, shoving his hands into his pockets. He still didn’t make a move to leave.  
“Keith…” Lance said softly, moving closer. He didn’t know what he was going to say but everything in his brain shut down when Keith looked up at him with those dark eyes. Before he knew what he was doing, Lance was leaning towards them, fully entranced. His lips brushed Keith’s sending an unexpected shock through his chest. The next thing he knew, Keith’s palm was on his cheek and his lips pushed against Lance’s. Without think about what this would do to their friendship, to him when Keith sobered up, without thinking what this could lead to, without thinking of anything, Lance was kissing him back.  
It was much gentler than Lance had expected. The way Keith cupped his cheek was almost tender and Lance couldn't help but lean into it. Suddenly it was over, Keith breaking away again and retracting his hand as though he’d just been bitten. Lance’s mind was going a mile a minute, trying to figure out what it had meant.   
“Do you wanna come in for a minute?” Lance blurted, immediately wanting to kick himself.  
“I have to get home,” Keith said quickly, not meeting Lance’s eye as he brushed past him. “I’m sorry, Lance.” It was so quiet Lance could barely hear it.

Lance: Did you get home okay?

Lance: I feel like shit. I drank like 7 gallons of water

Lance: What was up with that weirdo at the club?

Lance: Keith, I’m sorry!! When I asked you to come in I just wanted to talk, I’m serious! I didn’t mean anything sexual, I swear! Please don’t be mad at me, Keith. I’m so sorry!

Lance took a breath and tried his best to keep calm. What would Keith say? Would he even be willing to speak with him at all? It was so wrong and weird, a total violation of Keith’s privacy. Just showing up at his apartment like this. He’d paced outside the apartment building for twenty minutes before a neighbour opened the door to the building and Lance slipped in as they went out. Too late to turn back now.  
Taking a breath, Lance finally knocked on the apartment door. He wasn’t going to get anywhere to with his mind going round in circles. The best way to find out was just to go for it. When the door opened, Lance could see Keith’s face go from bored to slightly curious to shocked when he realized who was at his door.   
“Hey, dude. Sorry about this. I got your address from your brother. Pidge got his number from her brother and Shiro said it was okay if I came over. I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry and I don’t want you to be mad at me, Keith. I didn’t mean to fuck it up.”  
“Come in,” Keith cut Lance off before he could continue his rambling apology. Lance was silent as Keith led him into the small two bedroom apartment. Keith turned the corner into the kitchen and closed his laptop. The books and papers covering the table told Lance he was clearly working on some essay or other.   
“Coffee?”  
“Uh, yea. Sure. Thank you, I mean.”  
Keith nodded and motioned for Lance to sit. Once they both had a warm mug in their hands, sitting across the small table from each other, Lance felt even more nervous. But that was nothing compared to what Keith must have been feeling. He had that trapped animal look again and his eyes were darting around, looking at anything but the boy across from him.   
“Keith…” Lance was able to swallow his nerves and gently lay his hand over Keith’s. The other boy jumped and tightened his hand into a fist but didn’t pull away. Lance waited patiently until he felt Keith’s hand relax again. “Are you okay?”  
Keith nodded slowly but still wouldn’t look at him.   
“I was worried, man. I saw that you read my messages so I figured you must be okay but...I haven’t heard from you since friday night and you were….acting kind of weird. Just let me explain, please…”  
Keith shook his head and Lance felt his heart drop into his stomach. “You don’t have to explain. You didn’t do anything wrong. I just...fucked up.”  
Lance almost wanted to cry but instead he managed an easy going smile. It wasn’t too difficult after all that practice over the years.“Hey, just break it to me gently, dude. If it didn’t mean anything then that’s fine. People do dumb shit when they’ve had a few drinks. I just don’t want to wreck our friendship or something stupid.”  
“That’s not what I mean. I mean I like you, Lance. I like you a lot but I shouldn’t have kissed you like that and then ran away. I just….I’m sorry, I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to hear you say you don’t like me that way.”  
“I do like you that way.”  
“What?”  
“I said I do like you that way. I kissed you back, didn’t I?”  
“Well, yea…”  
“Look, Keith I don’t know what happened to you that night but you didn’t really seem like yourself,” Lance said softly. He gave Keith’s hand a gentle squeeze. “You don’t have to talk about it or anything. But just...don’t worry about me, okay?”  
Keith finally looked up and met Lance’s steady gaze. He nodded slowly, pulling his hand out from under Lance’s..“Thanks, Lance.”  
Lance smiled and leaned back, clearly satisfied with Keith’s answer. He took a long drink of coffee. Sweet and milky.  
“I do want to tell you but it's hard…” Keith stared into the mug of black coffee, completely still.  
Lance sat forward again, watching as Keith reached up to grip the front of his shirt.  
“Take your time,” Lance encouraged softly. After a long silence, Keith finally spoke.  
****Warning: Mentions of Past Abuse*****  
“I got bounced around a lot in foster care. I got in trouble at school and when I came out, a lot of foster parents didn’t want to take me but it was too hard to hide that part of myself. I got sick of it all so I ran away from the Shiroganes when I first got placed with them in ninth grade. I didn’t want to stay at one more house with people who didn’t even like me. That guy...the one at the club… I knew him from that time. I was on the street and he was one of the people that helped me...They gave me food and a place to stay. They told me they understood me and I stupidly believed it.”  
Lance’s heart ached at the look on Keith’s face. He reached across the table and gently untangled Keith’s hand from the from of his own shirt, holding it gently on the table. Keith took a deep breath and continued but couldn't look him in the eye.  
“It wasn’t long before they started telling me I needed to earn my keep. At first they just asked me to deliver these packages to different places in town. I was too dumb to realise they were drugs. At that age, I wasn’t really suspicious so no one bothered me. I made a great drug mule I guess.” Keith laughed bitterly and Lance squeezed his hand.“Then they started telling me I needed to do a different kind of favor. I….”  
Keith looked up and met Lance’s eyes briefly before looking away. Whatever Keith was about to tell him clearly made him feel ashamed. On impulse, Lance brought the back of Keith’s hand up to his lips and kissed it. “You don’t have to tell me, Keith. But you don’t have to be embarrassed, either.”  
Keith seemed shocked but once he pulled himself out of it and gathered his thoughts, he managed to continue. “That guy at the club….he told me to sleep with him. I was scared and I didn’t have anywhere to go. I did anything he asked me to and I followed him around like a puppy. He would introduce me to these...people and tell me they were his friends. I was so stupid I believed everything. Sometimes we would just stay at his apartment but sometimes he would bring me up to their houses. I was in these places that must have been worth millions. I don’t know how I didn’t connect the dots, why these ‘friends’ always had so much money while we lived in a one room apartment in some dilapidated building…”  
“It wasn’t your fault, Keith. You were a kid! How could you...How would you know anything?” Lance reasoned. Even as the words left his mouth, he knew it was easy for him to reason now but not so easy for Keith to just stop beating himself up. Lance was pretty much in shock for the rest of the story as Keith explained the day he saw the missing poster with his face on it. How he wrote the phone number down. Calling that number after his ‘friend’ had assaulted him pretty badly a week later. Listening to Keith calmly recount how he waited for him to pass out that night, struggling not to do the same himself and getting hold of the cell phone. How he’d cried to Shiro’s voice at the other end, asking to come home.  
*****Safe Again!******  
“Shiro showed up with his dad and the police. It must have been three in the morning. I remember them taking me to the hospital and Shiro staying the night with me. They came to visit me every day. Shiro told me it was okay and no one was mad that I ran away. He helped his mom homeschool me through the summer so I didn’t lose a year at school. I know he never told anyone about it but when I went back to school everyone knew something had happened.”  
Lance thought back to those days. It seemed like forever. He remembered all the rumors. That Keith had been in a gang and sold drugs. Some even said he’d been in jail for killing someone. At the time it all seemed so crazy but the truth was so much worse. He could see why Keith let them all believe he was just a no good hot head.  
Keith could tell from Lance’s expression that he remember some of the things that had been said about him. “It was easier to let everyone think whatever they wanted. I would rather those rumors than the truth.”  
Lance had no idea what to say or do. Suddenly he stood, pushing the chair back with a creak. Keith looked up at him, startled by the movement. He looked scared. He was scared. He didn’t want Lance to leave. He didn’t want to open up to him and then watch his only friend walk away.   
“Can I hug you?”  
“What?” Keith blinked as Lance came around the tiny table. Lance couldn't miss the way Keith drew back a little. He knew Keith had difficulty with being touched and didn’t want to freak him out. Especially after what he’d just told Lance.  
“I want to hug you.” Lance slowly and deliberately wrapped his arms around Keith. When the other boy didn’t move away or push him off, Lance held him against his chest. Keith didn’t move but he did lean against Lance and that was enough. They stayed that way for what felt a long time. 

Shiro was pretty insistent that Lance stay for dinner and Lance didn’t want to refuse when Shiro looked genuinely happy to see him again. Lance had asked Keith about a hundred times if it was okay until Keith burst out laughing at the anxious look on his face.  
“Yes, Lance! For the hundredth time, I want you to stay for dinner!”  
Lance’s face had lit up like someone had set off fireworks behind his eyes. It was so bright Keith had looked away. He wanted to make Lance that happy always.   
Dinner had gone so well that Lance wound up staying and watching a movie with them too. At about ten Shiro had gone to bed after Keith teased him for being an old man. Shiro had only laughed at that and made a comment about respecting his elders. Lance didn’t know how to explain the warm, tight feeling in his chest at seeing Keith looking so comfortable and happy.  
“You’re quiet.”  
Lance was startled by Keith’s voice, only then realizing he had been lost in thought. “That’s not something people usually say to me.”  
“You’re not usually quiet.”  
“Touche.”  
Keith had smiled then but it didn’t reach his eyes. He clutched the front of his shirt and looked away. Lance held his breath and leaned forward, his hand tentatively stroking Keith’s. He felt the grip on Keith’s shirt relax as he turned to meet Lance’s eyes slowly and deliberately. He was making an effort to keep eye contact but it was clearly something that he had been told to do rather than something that came naturally. Lance wondered if it had been a foster parent or a social worker who drilled that into him. Probably a social worker.   
“I hope…. Lance, I don’t want you to be freaked out by what I told you. I...I’m sorry.”  
Lance blinked in surprise, his hand gripping Keith’s tightly. “Don’t be sorry, Keith. You did nothing wrong! I-I’m glad you told me. I’m glad that you can trust me. I want you to trust me.”  
Keith looked away again, trying to gather himself and Lance was struck by the full force of what was hiding under that bad boy facade. He had judged Keith, just like everyone else. He remembered how rude he was to him in high school. He thought Keith was just hot headed and had trouble with authority. He didn’t realise there was so much that scared Keith, so much he was trying to protect himself from. It seemed like everything came so easy. He had a great big brother, he was unusually bright and attractive without even trying…  
“I never told anyone that before,” Keith said softly, trying to look at him.  
“Keith, you don’t have to make eye contact like that if it’s too hard,” Lance assured him so quietly it was almost a whisper. He shifted closer on the couch and gently removed his hand from Keith’s to rub his back. He felt Keith tense and pulled his hand back again.  
After a few moments of staring at the floor, Keith looked back up again and met Lance’s eyes. Lance couldn’t help but lean in again. This kiss was like their first, so gentle and hesitant that Keith didn’t know how to handle it. He’d never been touched like this before.   
Lance struggled with how careful and tender Keith was, brushing his thumb against Lance’s cheek and pressing their lips together. It was almost a shock when Keith deepened the kiss but Lance’s body was responding way ahead of his brain. His mind screamed at him that this was wrong. Keith was vulnerable and he didn’t need Lance all over him, he probably didn’t totally know what he was doing. But Lance couldn't reject him, not with how much he wanted the dark haired boy. Keith had spilled his soul and now he wanted the comfort of Lance’s kiss and if there was anything Lance could do for him he was gonna do it.   
It was just after eleven when Keith walked Lance to his car and kissed him goodbye. 

“Hey, Lance!”  
Lance turned, spotting Pidge running at him. He stopped to allow her to catch up.“Hey Pidge.”  
“I’m assuming you talked to Keith. Hunk said you had dinner at his place last night.”  
“Oh, yea I did. It was nice to see Shiro again,” Lance said, turning in an attempt to hide his blush but Pidge wasn’t fooled.  
“Oh?” she prompted, giving him a slight grin. When they had made it almost all the way to the science building with Lance still not taking the bait she tried again.  
“So are you dating now or…?”  
“No!” Lance flushed furiously and cleared his throat. He couldn't look at Pidge. That grin was obnoxious.“We’re not dating. We’re just...seeing each other. Sort of.”  
“Oooookay?”  
Lance stayed resolutely silent until they reached his classroom.“Oh, hey. Do you want to come to my play at the end of the semester?”  
“Sure!” Pidge perked up.  
“I’ll get you a ticket then.”  
“Awesome! Thanks!”

Keith: What’s this play about again?

Lance: A guy that kills his wife and tries to cover it up

Keith: Sounds….nice

Lance: I play the dead wife’s brother. There’s a really great crying scene towards the middle. It’s gonna be a show stopper.

Keith: I don’t doubt that

Lance: I dunno if that’s a compliment or….

Keith Compliment. Definitely.

“Can I get three?”  
“You have three friends?”  
Lance glared at Lotor but didn’t dignify him with a response, as the professor handed Lance three tickets to their next performance. They got a limited number of free tickets for friends and Lance wanted them to see his play at least once.  
“Hey, I’m just saying you usually just ask for the one.”  
Lance knew Lotor enough by now to know that he lived for the drama. Lance knew better than to feed into it.  
“Okay, you got me. I saw you with Keith at the Galra the other night. That place is really seedy and Keith is…”  
“Keith is my friend and you’re wrong about him.”  
“I didn’t say anything…”  
“You were implying it.”  
Lotor held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay. Whatever you say, Lance. Honestly, I never thought I would see Keith together with someone like you.” He eyed Lance’s backwards snapback and polo shirt.   
“We’re not together!” Lance almost shouted at him. The rest of the class paused, looking confused. They probably thought it was a line but didn’t remember that being in the production. Their interest was lost in a matter of seconds.   
“My bad,” Lotor apologized with a slight smirk. I did think it was strange. You’re not his type at all.”  
“Whatever,” Lance brushed it off, trying not to show how much that comment stung.  
“Yea, I bet you $100 you couldn't hook up with Keith Kogane in a hundred years,” one of Lotor’s senior friends butted into the conversation, making the other two frown.   
Lance sighed, not rising to the bait, no matter how much he really wanted to.  
“Aw, C’mon Lance. You never could resist a bet or a dare,” the senior grinned, probably remembering all the dumb shit Lance had done on dares last year. But that was last year and this was something serious.  
“I’m not betting you a hundred dollars for anything, Craig” Lance tried his best to resist the pull of a bet. His competitive streak had gotten him into enough trouble.   
“Aw, c’mon, Lance. You’re no fun!”  
Lance waved a hand in dismissal. Normally that was something that would really bother him. Lance had always wanted to be accepted and feel wanted. He knew he shouldn't care so much, especially when he was only getting people to like him by acting like an idiot. Hunk and Pidge liked him for himself and Keith seemed to like him….  
It was the thought of Keith that made Lance not care what anyone else thought. If Keith liked him that was all that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed it! If you couldn't read the potentially triggering part, Keith basically told Lance about how he ran away from the Shiroganes and got entangled with some bad people who used him as a drug mule and made him sleep with older men for money. He sees a missing poster that Shiro had put up and finally calls the number to tell them where he is.


	3. Happy Birthday

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Keith's birthday and Lance gets him the best present of all. Lots of fluff!

Going over to Keith’s house for dinner started to become a weekly thing. They would mostly hang out, do some homework together and then have dinner with Shiro. They usually watched a movie or played a board game or video games until Shiro went to bed. Every night Lance was over he and Keith would make out on the couch until one day they were suddenly making out in Keith’s bed. A few times Shiro was out with friends and Keith and Lance were home alone. They usually stuck to the same pattern. Homework, eat, more work or a game and then make out. But when Shiro wasn’t home they were less cautious.   
Keith’s hand snaked up Lance’s side, his shirt balling up as it went. Lance breathed in sharply as Keith’s thumb brushed against his nipple. The chuckle that went through the dark haired boy made Lance shiver. The low timbre reverberated through his body as Keith pushed his face closer into Lance’s neck.  
Lance smiled and brushed his hand slowly and carefully down the small of Keith’s back, giving his ass a light squeeze. Lance groaned softly and smiled. Damn, that was a nice ass. Keith seemed to relax at the touch, the complete opposite of what he had been like when Lance first started to touch him like this.   
Lance couldn’t help thinking back on it. How he had unthinkingly run his hand up Keith’s arm and gently squeezed his bicep. He could feel his body tense against him and Keith’s lips stutter against his own. It happened again when he rested his hand on Keith’s hip. Lance waited for Keith to say or do something but he didn’t until Lance shuffled closer and tugged Keith’s hips against his own. Keith froze but didn’t pull away. He seemed to be waiting for something. Lance retracted his hands and moved back.  
“Are you alright, Keith? You can tell me to stop. It’s okay if you’re not comfortable. I didn't want to do something that makes you feel uncomfortable-”  
Keith cut him off with a shake of his head and looked away, his gaze on Lance’s knee. Lance bit his lip and waited patiently. “It’s fine. It’s just weird. I never really did this with anyone so it's...just weird.”  
“You...didn’t?”  
Keith shook his head but didn’t elaborate. Lance just nodded in understanding and gently cupped Keith’s face. Those gentle eyes were in such contrast with his memories of Keith in high school. He could still clearly see Keith on top of another student in the parking lot, punching him repeatedly. Since then Keith had told him the truth about it, that the guy had made a rude remark about his foster mother when she dropped him off that morning. He insisted it wasn’t an excuse but Lance was starting to see a pattern in Keith’s behaviour.   
“What?”  
“Huh?” Lance stared blankly up at Keith as the other boy lay on his side, elbow propping him up while he rested his head on his fist. His other hand was still under Lance’s shirt.  
“You’re just staring into space,” Keith said with a frown. “Are you okay?”  
Lance brought himself into the present with a laugh.  
“Yea, totally! Sorry about that, man.”  
Keith still looked worried as he retracted his hand from Lance’s shirt and gave the taller boy some space. Lance hated it when Keith moved away from him like that. He looked like he had done something wrong or like he was struggling with himself. Lance reached out and smoothed Keith’s frown lines, gently brushing his hair out of his face. Keith stuttered and blushed, making Lance laugh.   
“What, you just had your tongue down my throat and now you’re embarrassed?”   
“That's different,” Keith pointed out and Lance nodded.  
He was right, it was different. They both knew it but neither of them said it out right. They were so slow moving it was only just now that Keith was finally sliding his hand up Lance’s shirt. The taller boy was letting Keith take the lead. If it was up to him, he would have all his limbs wrapped around Keith at all times. But Keith wasn’t a big toucher. It made him nervous and Lance wanted him to feel both comfortable and happy. So he waited and now next time maybe Keith would let him put his hand up Keith’s shirt. It made him smile to think about there being a next time. He didn’t care if it never progressed from this point, as long as he was guaranteed a next time.   
“I better get going. I have an early class tomorrow,” Lance said as he sat up. Something unidentifiable flashed across Keith’s face and he looked as though he wanted to say something but decided against it.   
“I’ll walk you out,” he said instead. Lance nodded and offered his hand. Keith took it.   
As Lance drove off, Keith stood and watched the rear lights disappear down the street, stuffing his hands into his pockets. The longer this thing with Lance continued, the more Keith started to worry that he was doing something wrong. Lance always seemed so sure of himself, like he knew exactly how he felt and he wasn’t ashamed of it. Keith wished he knew what that felt like. He clutched the front of his shirt absently as he thought about Lance. Holding him, kissing him, laughing with him. What was someone like Lance doing with him? He wasn’t stupid, he could see the way people looked at them when they were hanging out at school. How much was Lance really willing to put up with?

“Okay, so what do you wanna do for your birthday?”   
It took Keith a few moments to realise that Lance was talking to him.   
“Oh. I...dunno… Shiro always tries to get me to do stuff but….” Keith never really finished even as Lance continued to watch with a prompting expression. Keith cleared his throat. “Shiro usually makes my favorite foods at least and his parents call.”  
Lance realised that he wasn’t going to get much more than that out of him.“Well, I guess it is like what, twenty days away?”  
Keith nodded and Lance looked thoughtful for a few moments. Keith could see the wheels turning in his head. He got the feeling that Lance wasn’t going to take no for an answer with whatever he was planning. Lance laughed at the nervous expression on the other boy’s face.  
“I’m assuming you want something kind of small? Nothing too extravagant, right?”  
Keith nodded slowly.“Okay. I mean, going to the club and getting plastered is kind of the norm at our age but that’s not your style, right?”  
Keith seemed to consider this, his eyes far away like he was remembering something. Lance frowned as he watched several different emotions play out against Keith’s features. When he placed a hand on Keith’s arm he finally looked Lance in the eye and shook his head.  
“Not really,” he admitted. “But we could go to a club.”  
Lance nodded and was about to say something else when Hunk and Pidge interrupted.  
“Hey, sorry that took a little longer than we thought,” Hunk apologised. “You guys didn’t have to wait on us.”  
“It was no problem,” Lance grinned and stood up, feeling Keith do the same. It wasn’t often that Keith agreed to having dinner with them all in the cafeteria and Lance was always disproportionately excited about it.   
“C’mon, I’m starving!” Pidge said dramatically, rubbing her stomach.  
The food was fairly good for a cafeteria but it was the atmosphere that Keith enjoyed the most. He’d never really had friends his own age to sit around and joke with like this.While living with his foster family, Shiro had tried his best to include Keith with his friends when possible but they were older and Keith just couldn’t relate to them the same way. They finished eating in the first twenty minutes but were still there an hour later, drinking coke and coffee and just talking. Pretty much anything to avoid going back to their essays and assignments.   
“So you rebuilt it yourself?”   
“That’s so cool!”  
Pidge’s question and Hunk’s exclamation pulled Keith from his thoughts. Lance had brought the subject of Keith’s motorcycle up with them earlier and when he agreed to have dinner with them all at the cafeteria, Pidge took the opportunity to finally ask him about it.   
“I guess so. Shiro help a lot. It was something we….” Keith paused for an overly long time and looked away.. “Something we did together.”  
“So what colour is it? Red? I bet it's red!” Lance smoothly changed the subject.  
“Yea, it’s red,” he replied with a soft smile.  
“Knew it!” Lance laughed.  
“Wait, how did you know that?”Hunk demanded.  
“Red’s his favorite colour, he told me!” Lance laughed. Hunk and Pidge laughed too and Keith even cracked a genuine smile.

“Do you wanna fuck?”  
Lance dropped his phone on his face and shot straight up from his position of laying on his back. He rubbed his nose while looking at Keith. The dark haired boy seemed to draw in on himself as he watched Lance. He knew it was inappropriate and a really terrible way to bring it up but Keith was just so worried lately. The night before he’d been up so long just thinking about Lance and trying to come up with a way to make him stay, to make sure he didn’t get bored with Keith. They weren’t really boyfriends but they weren’t really friends either because friends didn’t kiss each other like that. At least, Keith didn’t think so. He never really had friends so he really couldn’t be certain.  
“Do you wanna fuck?” he repeated in a much quieter voice. “I’m sorry, that was...It was so sudden. I don’t really know how to….”  
It was the only thing Keith had been able to come up with. Maybe if he let Lance fuck him, he’d have a reason to keep Keith around. Maybe Keith could buy himself more time to figure out how to keep Lance, how to tell Lance just how much he cared about him and wanted all that dumb shit he’d never had with someone before. He wanted to fight about leaving dirty socks on the floor or whose turn it was to clean the cat box. He wanted to lazily discuss what to have for dinner, to tease Lance about falling asleep on the couch during a movie or text him to remind him to bring home milk. He wanted to wake up every day and know that he would see Lance, that he would kiss him and hold his hand and stroke his hair.  
As Keith trailed off, Lance felt a soft smile grow on his face. He slid off of Keith’s bed to join him on the floor and rest his head on Keith’s shoulder. The more time he spent with Keith, the more he was beginning to realize that Keith had no idea how to interact with people. He came off blunt and sometimes rude but he tried so hard when he cared about someone.  
“Yea,” Lance said simply, his voice soft as he kissed the top of Keith’s head. “Yea, dude. I wanna fuck you.”  
Keith seemed to perk up at that but his body was still tight, his nerves on edge and Lance could feel it even as Keith shifted towards him and pressed his lips to Lance’s. It started out hot, heavy. Keith’s tongue in his mouth, inviting Lance to kiss him harder, push him down and undress him. Damn, Lance wanted to do that so bad and Keith was offering it on a silver fucking platter. But instead he softened the kiss, his tongue gentle and unhurried. One arm wrapped around Keith’s hips and his other hand stroked his back so soft and gentle. Lance was rewarded with a quiet moan and Keith’s fingers sliding into his hair. Lance broke the kiss and slowly pulled away, taking a shaking breath. They both kept their eyes closed as they leaned their foreheads together.   
“I wanna fuck you,” Lance repeated. “But I wanna do it when we’re both ready.”  
Keith looked startled as he stared into Lance’s eyes. They were just so damn blue and cool, such a contrast to his warm, dark skin. That smile he gave made Keith almost want to cry from the way it caused his heart to tighten in his chest. It felt like home. 

“Oh my God, Hunk!”  
Lance groaned loudly as he came into the room, throwing his backpack on the floor and flopping face first on to his bed. Hunk looked up from his desk, leaning back in his chair to observe Lance closely. He knew him well enough at this point to separate a real crisis from Lance’s usual dramatics. He could tell from one glance that Lance was going to be okay. He’d bet money that the next words out of Lance’s mouth would be….  
“Kill me now!”  
Hunk nodded. There it was. He turned back to his notes, looking unconcerned but still offering a shoulder and an open ear. “What’s wrong? The quiz you had today not go well?”  
“I think I aced it,” Lance sighed, turning his head to the side so he could speak. He took off his snap back and flung it towards his own desk. He didn’t even jump up and whoop when it landed expertly on the back of the chair. Any other time he would have screamed ‘sharpshooter!’ so loud the RA came to give a warning.   
“What? That’s awesome man!”  
“Yea.”  
Hunk waited but Lance didn’t offer anything else. Pushing his chair back from the desk, Hunk walked over to peer into Lance’s face. “What’s the matter, buddy?”  
“You were right,” Lance replied miserably.  
“Yea, I usually am. But, uh, about what exactly this time? And why is that making you so-”  
“I have a crush on Keith!” Lance shouted, making Hunk jump. Lance buried his face back into the pillow after his outburst. The room was completely silent for a few moments before Hunk burst out laughing.   
“Is that why you’ve been so quiet since you came back from his place last night?” Hunk asked as he straightened and resumed his place at his desk.  
“Yes!” Lance shot straight up and began pacing the room.  
“What am I going to do? I don’t wanna ruin this! I gotta play it cool. Can’t freak him out. I always come on too strong. He’d hate that. I know he wants to fuck but that's different! I don’t wanna fuck! I wanna fuck and then cuddle and fall asleep together and then get up in the morning and meet his parents for brunch and then go furniture shopping and then buy cat food and then go home and cook for him and then he slaps my ass and tells me how good I look in an apron. I wanna-”  
“Lance, I get the picture, dude.”  
“Sorry.” Lance flopped onto the bed on his back, looking at Hunk sheepishly before covering his face with his hands and groaning.   
Hunk laughed as Lance dragged his hands down his face. “I don’t really see a problem. I mean that is a lot to want in a short period of time but just take the first step and tell him you like him and wanna go on a date. Start with the small stuff first, man.”  
Lance shot up and looked at his best friend like he was crazy. Usually Hunk was so wise, how could he just say that like it was no big deal?  
“What about when he says he doesn’t think of me as a boyfriend and tells me to never come over to his place again?”  
“Why would he when he’s crazy about you?” Hunk asked casually, not even looking up.  
Lance stared and stared, boring holes into the side of Hunk’s face until he turned to look at him.   
“Hunk, I’m gonna need you to sober up and be serious here.”  
“I am,” Hunk replied, blinking at Lance like he was the crazy one. “Pidge and I have both seen the way he looks at you. He’s smitten, dude.”  
“Did you...did you just say smitten?”  
“Uh...yea?”  
“Hunk. I love you, man.”

The week before Keith’s birthday, Lance went through his closet every. Single. Day. If Hunk didn’t have such a high tolerance and the patience of a saint, he would have gone crazy. But, according to Lance the right outfit was essential.  
“I still like the yellow,” Hunk insisted.  
“No! Yellow washes me out!” Lance tossed the offending shirt on the ground.  
“Okay…. Maybe one of the blues? Blue is a good colour on you.”  
“Yea but his favorite colour is red.”  
“You do look good in red. But I still think the blue makes your eyes pop. Although black is very flattering.”  
“How about this blue?”  
“That one is nice but maybe the one with longer sleeves? It’s kinda cold out.”  
“I’ll wear a jacket.”  
“Which jacket?”  
“FUCK!”  
It felt like Keith’s birthday was never going to come and then all of a sudden it was here and Lance was not ready, despite finally deciding on the blue collared button down and thin black jacket with his nicest (and skinniest) dark jeans.   
“No, I changed my mind. No way am I going to do this. Nope. I’m gonna get him a bottle of vodka. I’ll get myself one too. And chug it. So I can pass out and forget I even thought about it.”  
Lance paced the room nervously. It wasn’t very big so he found himself pacing a very small area and turning around a lot, feeling a little dizzy. Hunk was watching him the whole time, Lance vaguely aware of the impatient stance his best friend had. Lance’s phone lay face up on his bed, Shiro’s text still waiting to be replied to.  
“Shiro and Keith are waiting. Pidge is gonna be here any minute. You were so excited yesterday,” Hunk spoke in short sentences, keeping his voice low. He knew how Lance could be and tried his best not to add to the downward spiral. “Keith is gonna be thrilled, Lance. He really likes you. You’re going to kick yourself if you don’t put yourself out there. You’re a risk taker, Lance. At least this one is going to pay off.”  
“What if it doesn’t??” Lance demanded, coming to stop in front of Hunk and tugging at his own hair. “I always put myself out there like an idiot and it never works and I just look stupid! I don’t wanna look stupid! I don’t want Keith to avoid me for the rest of our lives!”  
“Lance,” Hunk gripped his friend tightly by the shoulders. “Have I ever lied to you?”  
Lance took a moment to sift through his memories but no instances of Hunk lying were present so he shook his head slowly.   
“Then why would I lie now? Keith likes you, Lance. He really likes you. I promise this is not going to be a mistake.”  
Lance paused, looking at his best friend’s assuring smile and nodded slowly. He knew Hunk was right but at the same time he’d never cared about someone the way he did about Keith. He’d dated girls and guys both and while he’d liked them none of them had made his heart spark the way Keith did when he looked at him. No one had ever filled him with something warm and soft like when Keith touched him. If it didn’t go well, Lance could always play it off as some kind of joke. His patented move after all.  
A knock at the door interrupted Lance’s response. Knowing it would be Pidge, he just yelled that the door was unlocked while making a final check in the mirror. The small girl pushed it open and walked in.   
“You look nice,” Hunk smiled at her. She was wearing a skirt, simple but still nice.  
“Thanks, You too,” she returned before looking at Lance. “Ready to confess your undying love?”  
Lance groaned and tried to feign a stomach ache.  
Not buying his sudden illness, Hunk forced Lance to head out to Keith’s place. When he answered the door, Lance debated making a run for it. That low black T-shirt under a thick red plaid button up with only the bottom four buttons done up was murder for Lance. Those black jeans weren’t helping much either and of course he put his hair in a ponytail today.   
Despite wanting to melt into a puddle as he entered the apartment, Lance found himself having a great time throughout the evening. Shiro made all of Keith’s favorite foods and Hunk baked a delicious red velvet cake. Pidge brought an impressive selection of booze which Lance really only sipped at a little. He watched Keith carefully to see how much he was consuming. He couldn't think of a casual way to warn him not to get smashed tonight. Keith caught his eye and looked away. Lance flushed and pretended he hadn’t noticed.   
That was still nothing compared to how Lance felt when he met Shiro’s eye. It was starting to get late and the older man pointed subtlety to his watch. Lance swallowed hard and nodded. The discussion he had with Keith’s older brother about what Lance wanted to do for his birthday had been incredibly uncomfortable. He had instantly transported himself back to middle school under Shiro’s gaze. But in the end, Shiro wanted his little brother to be happy. He had a really long discussion with Lance, the later accidentally spilling his guts to his old tutor, feelings he hadn’t even admitted to Hunk. It turned out to be the right thing to do because it got Shiro on board and Lance had felt like he was walking on air after returning home that day.   
Clearing his throat, Lance approached Keith and gently touched his shoulder. Keith jumped and tensed but relaxed when he turned and saw Lance’s sheepish smile. “So, um you never asked what I got you,” Lance said, forcing a confident look into place.   
“Why would you get me something?” Keith asked, tilting his head.  
Lance deflated. “It’s your birthday!”  
“So?”  
“So….So I got you something!” Lance almost shouted, waving his hands in the air.   
“You...didn’t have to do that,” Keith looked away, not meeting Lance’s eyes. He was completely red and spoke so quietly it was hard to hear him. “Just having you guys spend time with me is what I wanted.”  
Lance felt a strong hand squeeze his heart so hard he made a choking noise, freezing when Keith finally met his eye and gave a shy smile. Lance was dead, he had to be dead.  
“Well...well I did but it’s...it’s not here. We have to go somewhere else. Do you...would you like your present now?”  
Keith glanced around the room at his brother and his new friends. They all nodded at him eagerly and Keith had the distinct feeling he was the only one caught off guard. A sense of nervousness overwhelmed him. He hesitated but caught Shiro’s eye, the older man making a motion to urge him on and the fear recindid. Shiro always looked out for him, and besides this was Lance. Keith’s curiosity was peaked and he nodded slowly.   
“Great! Can I blindfold you?”  
“What?!”  
“It’s a surprise,” Lance repeated. Again Keith looked at Shiro who nodded his head. Keith sighed and shrugged a shoulder.   
“Sure,” he relented. Lance beamed and Keith felt like that was a good enough present already.   
At the door, Shiro handed Lance a backpack which he slipped over his shoulders.   
“I’ll drive the other two home,” he assured Lance with a smile. “Have fun!”   
Getting to the car was somewhat awkward but Keith knew the apartment building well enough and Lance kept a careful hold on him. Somehow Keith found himself feeling safe and leaning into Lance. It was hard for him to trust someone like this but something about it felt right.   
Once parked, Lance told him to wait. Keith felt anxious as he waited in the car, but just told himself over and over that this was Lance and he could trust this boy. He returned shortly afterwards, sounding out of breath and Keith was certain he had run wherever he’d gone and back.  
Getting out was a little more difficult but they managed it. Keith’s heart pounding in his ears as he squeezed Lance’s hand tightly. Without thinking, Lance leaned over and placed a reassuring kiss to the top of the shorter boy’s head. The next thing Keith knew, he was being enveloped by something warm and heavy. Lance pulled the blindfold from his eyes and Keith blinked at him. It took him a few moments to understand where they were.  
“The beach?”  
It was dark and cold, not a good time for swimming. But Lance had draped a blanket around him and Keith could barely feel the wind.  
“Yea,” Lance blushed, reaching for Keith’s hand. They were the only ones around for as far as Keith could see.   
“You got me...the beach?”  
“No.”  
“The blanket.”  
“No.”  
Keith watched Lance curiously, seeing the sheepish smile and the faint blush on the tan boy’s cheeks. Keith carefully positioned himself flush against Lance’s side and tugged the blanket around the taller boy’s shoulders so they could both be covered by it.   
“Then what?” Keith asked softly as the stood together, holding hands and sharing their body heat. They both stared out at the ocean waves in silence before Lance finally spoke.  
“Me.”  
“What?”  
“Me,” Lance repeated before adding, “well my heart. But my body comes with it. So if you want me...I’m yours.”  
Lance could feel Keith’s eyes on the side of his face but he couldn't bring himself to look at him. Everything in Lance told him to run. Run right now and don’t look back. Of course he doesn’t want you, you idiot! He doesn’t want your body or your soul! He doesn’t want your stupid little heart with all its stupid little scrapes and cracks, bandaged so many times it was lumpy and shapeless at this point. What kind of gift was that to give the boy beside him. Keith, who was strong and independent and didn't need anyone. Keith who was so good looking he didn’t seem real, those eyes so deep and soulful Lance could drown. He felt faint, short of breath.   
“If you don’t want it, I’ll get you something better,” Lance joked, the mask of his confident smile slipped easily into place and he turned to grin at Keith.   
Keith’s forceful kiss was his only response. He held Lance against himself, kissing him deeply but gently, both of them clutching the blanket tight around themselves.   
“It’s exactly what I wanted,” Keith breathed out softly, resting his forehead against Lance’s. Neither of them opened their eyes right away.   
“Thank God,” Lance laughed.   
Despite not being in the plan, they wound up making out for a solid twenty minutes on the cold sand, lying entangled together on the blanket.  
“It’s cold,” Lance murmured, pulling away forcefully. He had to get a hold of himself. “You’re going to catch a cold or something and Shiro will kill me.”  
Keith reached up and touched his cheek, the expression on his face clearly saying he didn’t want this to end.   
“Then...then let’s go in the car,” Keith suggested, gesturing to the direction they had just come from.   
“I’m not making out with you in the back of my crappy car, Keith.”  
“Why?” Keith looked hurt when he asked, genuinely confused by Lance’s refusal. “It’s not that small. I could get on your lap and-”  
“I have something way better than that,” Lance interrupted, standing up before Keith could finish that sentence. He just needed to hold on to his sanity a little longer and there was no way he could do that once Keith started talking about crawling into his lap. Lance held out his hand and Keith took it, clearly still confused. Lance helped him to his feet before retrieving the sandy blanket and shaking it out. Draping it over his free arm, Lance led Keith down the beach.   
Keith knew there was a hotel here on this beach, had driven past but he’d never been up close to it like this. Lance was leading him through the doors, waving at the cute girl standing behind the desk. She looked them both over before winking. Keith felt his face heat up. They all knew what was happening. Lance seemed completely oblivious to the embarrassment though, that huge grin firmly in place as he went straight to the elevator.   
“Uh, Lance....this place is kind of expensive.”  
“It’s the off season,” Lance shrugged in response.   
Keith tried again.   
“Lance this place is nice. Like really nice.”  
“It’s awesome. Our room is amazing! Wait until you see it! There’s even-”  
“Lance, this place is too nice. We can just go home and-”  
Lance finally acknowledged Keith’s concerns with a frown. The elevator stopped and Keith followed the other boy out into the hallway. Lance paused and placed a palm against Keith’s cheek, gently stroking his thumb across Keith’s blushing skin.   
“Nothing is too good for you, Keith,” he breathed, leaning in for a kiss. “We have privacy here. I want this to be special. I love you, Keith.”  
Their lips met softly and briefly. Keith could feel himself being swept up in this unbelievable fantasy. When Lance opened the door and tossed the blanket down to the side the fantasy was complete.   
Keith let his eyes roam the room while walking in. The bed was huge and had at least eight pillows. There was a large, plush couch too and even a small kitchen area. But what really caught his attention was the huge jacuzzi tub right out in the open.   
“Uh…” He pointed to the tub, head tilted in confusion.  
“There’s a shower stall in the bathroom around the corner,” Lance said, misreading the question.  
“I’m just...uh…” Keith paused as he took in the other items in the room. Two plush bathrobes. Four vases with roses in them, a bottle of champagne with two glasses and a fancy card with congratulations! written in cursive. “This isn’t…?”  
“It’s the honeymoon suite,” Lance admitted, looking sheepish. He stood awkwardly just inside the door of the room, watching Keith taking everything in. He seemed to be waiting for something. It took Keith a few moments of watching Lance shuffle his feet and avoid eye contact before realizing that Lance was looking for his approval.   
Keith smiled softly at the boy standing in front of him, heart hammering in his chest so hard it almost hurt. God, he loved this boy so much. Tall, lanky, ridiculously attractive Lance, with his gorgeous blue eyes and warm, tan skin. With a mouth so soft and gentle it made Keith melt and a heart so big it left him in awe.   
“Lance,” Keith said softly, approaching him slowly.   
Lance finally looked up and met Keith’s eye.“Is it too much? I thought it might be kind of too much. I do that sometimes. Do too much, I mean. It’s...I mean I tend to be too much so I understand if it’s...If you..”  
He didn’t know how to finish that thought and never got the chance. Instead, Keith kissed him, hard and passionate, backing Lance up against the door of the hotel room, hands on his sides. Lance was kissing him back before he was fully aware of what was happening.   
“I love it, Lance. Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you could proabbaly guess, the next chapter is going to be all smut. It won't take long for me to upload since the whole fic is already written out. I'm just in the process of going over and editing it all. This is actually my second attempt at this fic. The first one got too out of hand and the guys kept being way too fluffy and cute. Keith was trying to take Lance on a date and it just was not going in the right direction at all.


	4. The Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance and Keith celebrate Keith's birthday by getting intimate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Literally just smut. Not much else happens in this chapter. If you aren't a fan of smut you can skip it without really hurting the plot. At the end Keith has a little angsty moment and gets closer to Lance because of it.

Keith pushed Lance’s jacket from his arms and Lance let it fall to the ground before reaching up to tangle his fingers in Keith’s hair. Pulling his mouth closer Lance felt Keith responded instantly and slip a hand under Lance’s shirt, fingers brushing against bare skin. Lance put his hands on Keith’s shoulders and gently pushed him backwards towards the bed. Keith’s knees hit the edge and Lanced lowered him onto it carefully. Keith made a soft moaning sound at the back of his throat as he shifted, holding his arms out for Lance who was still standing at the edge of the bed leaning over him. .   
The sight almost made Lance cum right then, already half hard in his jeans. He was on top of Keith, arms circling the dark haired boy within a matter of seconds. Keith murmured Lance’s name in his ear, grinding his hips up, the friction causing Lance’s breath to catch in his throat. He paused momentarily to get his bearings as he felt Keith’s hands reach for the buttons on his shirt.  
“Keith…” Lance breathed against the sensitive skin of Keith’s throat. He bit down right where he knew Keith liked at the same moment Keith’s fingertips brushed against his nipple. Lance ground against Keith’s hips and murmured a few Spanish swear words against his skin. Keith smiled softly and made a pleasant sound while pushing Lance’s shirt over his shoulders. Sitting up, Lance tugged the shirt off quickly before lowering himself back down to Keith, chest to chest and mouth to mouth. Lance slipped an arm under Keith’s head, cradling it as he slipped his tongue into the other boy’s mouth. Keith wasn’t wasting any time, already working Lance’s jeans with nimble fingers.   
Before he could process what was happening, Lance felt Keith's hand on his cock, stroking firmly but slowly, a soft moan coming from the boy under him. Lance steeled himself before carefully reaching down and sliding Keith’s hand away to tuck himself back into his jeans. Before Keith could say anything, Lance was stroking his cheek, deepening the kiss. He still managed to keep it slow and soft, trying to convey that there was no need to rush this, that he was enjoying everything and savoring it, wanting Keith to do the same  
Keith’s body relaxed under him and Lance smiled into the kiss. His hand started to trail downwards, rubbing up and down Keith’s side. He slowly broke the kiss and smiled down at the other boy before lowering his head and gently nipping down the side of his neck to his collarbone and back. Keith responded beautifully, soft little gasps escaping and his breath hitching so quietly in made Lance’s heart stutter in his chest. He kissed along Keith’s collar bone before kissing back up the side of his neck and returning to his lips.   
Keith wrapped his arms around Lance and held him tightly, one hand stroking his back and the other tangling in his hair. He seemed to tense but Lance just slipped his hand down to Keith’s hip and gave a gentle squeeze, feeling him relax again. He wanted Keith to let go, allow Lance to take care of him. Pulling from the kiss, Lance lowered his head and nuzzled at Keith’s throat, pressing a gentle kiss and trailing his nose down to the hollow of his throat. Keith moaned softly, his face scrunching up a little before he allowed a soft sigh to escape. Lance ground hard against Keith’s hisp twice, hearing a satisfying gasp.  
“Relax,” Lance murmured softly, kissing the side of Keith’s neck. He nipped the same spot and then kissed it again. “I’m here. I got you. Just relax.”  
Keith didn’t reply other than breathing in sharply and biting his bottom lip. Lance lifted his head, bringing his hand up and placing his thumb on Keith’s bottom lip. With just a gentle tug he pulled his lip free and gave a soft smile before leaning in to join their mouths again.   
That smile had almost been the death of Keith. Lance was beautiful. He was beautiful when he grinned, when frowned at his textbook, when he was laughing, when he was eating. Lance was beautiful when he didn’t even try. Keith was used to it taking his breath away by now but that smile had been something else. The contentment and pure happiness in those gentle blue eyes squeezed Keith’s chest to the point of breaking. He returned the kiss with a whole new level of pleasure.   
Lance’s hand began to slip slowly under Keith’s shirt, touching against bare skin. Keith paused, holding his breath but Lance only continued to stroke his side up and down, stopping at the middle of his ribs and then trailing down just before his hips, repeating over and over. It was soft and slow and repetitive enough that Keith felt calmed. His own hand gently stroked Lance’s soft, short hair and was rewarded with a happy little groan and the sound of his name being whispered when Lance pulled away from the kiss.   
“Can I?”  
Lance tugged gently at the button on Keith’s plaid shirt. After receiving a nod, he slowly and carefully undid the few buttons holding it closed. Keith sat up a little to allow Lance to slip it from him. Keith lifted the black shirt over his head and tossed it to the ground before laying back down and tugging Lance with him by the shoulders. This time, before Lance got a chance, Keith leaned up slightly and kissed along the side of Lance’s neck. They had made out enough by now that Keith knew what Lance liked. He’d always been good at picking up clues, observant enough to see the signs of pleasure and fit the pieces of the puzzle together. Of course Lance was always an easy book to read.  
Lance moaned softly, biting his lip to stifle it. Keith just took that as a challenge and bit into Lance’s shoulder while slowly trailing his fingers up his arm. Lance groaned and lowered his head, tugging the tie out of Keith’s hair and burying his face into it once it hung loose around the other boy’s shoulders. A small chuckle sounded in his ear and Lance smiled, placing a gentle kiss on Keith’s shoulder. He murmured sweet Spanish nothings against the soft pale skin. Keith’s hands moved slowly down his sides, tugging his jeans down his hips. Lance shifted, making it easier and tugged them down enough he could kick them off. He shivered as Keith tugged at his briefs next.   
“Do you want to bottom or…?” Lance trailed off, whispering in Keith’s ear. He had sort of read Keith as a top but really wasn’t sure what he was into. They’d never done more than make out and touch a little above the waist.   
“Yea,”Keith murmured, shifting as they both worked Lance’s briefs off. “I’d like to.”  
Lance kissed him softly on the lips in response, hands trailing down Keith’s chest and resting on the button of his jeans. Lance pulled back to look down at Keith. After receiving a nod, he carefully unzip Keith’s jeans, working together to tug them the jeans down, boxers following quickly.  
Lance was pleased to see that Keith was just as hard as he was. Their breathing was more laboured now, faces red and hands restless over each other’s bodies. It wasn’t enough anymore. They both needed more and they knew it. Lance snaked an arm around Keith’s back, pushing up to press Keith’s chest against his own before kissing him more passionately than he ever had before. Keith’s eyelids fluttered closed and he returned the kiss, arms wrapping around Lance’s body and pressing into his back to hold him tight. Lance leaned up, taking Keith with him, one hand blindly reaching into the night stand for the lube he put there when he checked in and brought their bags up. He mentally praised himself for being prepared and not having to wreck the mood by getting up and searching his bag frantically. Lance was nothing if not romantic. It was still a bit tricky to work it over his fingers with one hand but Lance managed, not wanting to let go of Keith.   
“I’m going to..” Lance nodded towards his lubed fingers and Keith nodded, eyes closing as he laid back against the pillows and closed his eyes. Lance smiled and brushed Keith’s hair back with his clean fingers, kissing his forehead as he slipped a finger inside him. Keith made a soft sound of pleasure and turned his head away. He heard Lance chuckle before he leaned down and kissed just under Keith’s ear, starting to move his finger in and out.   
“Mm….You can go two..” Keith murmured.  
Lance obeyed, slipping a second finger inside and watching Keith gasp, biting his lip softly. His face was flushed but he looked happy and Lance smiled to himself, tucking some hair behind Keith’s hair and placing small kisses all over his face. Keith wiggled, fighting his soft laughter.  
Lance scissored his fingers a little, moving them deeper. Keith responded well, arching a little and squeezing his eyes shut. Lance carefully added a third, watching for Keith’s reaction.  
The other boy held his breath momentarily but relaxed and let it out in a soft moan. Lance was uncomfortably aware of just how hard he was at this point. It had been easier to ignore while softly touching Keith and giving those gentle kisses but he needed him now.Removing his fingers, Lance moved back on his heels. Keith looked startled when he opened his eyes, sitting up on his elbows.  
“Uh, do you mind if I…?”  
Keith nodded, relaxing back against the pillows. “Yes. Please, Lance,” he whispered, looking up at the taller boy. “I need you...Please…”  
Lance gulped and nodded, reaching for the lube. His fingers felt heavy and clumsy as he managed to squirt a considerable amount onto his palm, spreading it liberally over his cock. Keith watched, his eyes hungry, Reaching out, he gently stroked Lance’s cock with a single finger.   
“Pretty,” he murmured, looking up and meeting Lance’s eyes from under his lashes. Lance was breathing hard as he watched Keith shift his hips. Lance took one of the many pillows and shifted it under Keith’s hips. The dark haired boy smiled up at him, surprised but looking pleased with the gesture. He spread his legs and settled his hips, making sure to keep constant eye contact.  
“Lance,” Keith whispered. Lance swallowed hard before leaning down between those thick, pale thighs. He placed a few gentle kisses to Keith’s inner thighs, kissing his hard cock once, the moans and gasps well worth the torture of delaying the sweet moment of being inside this boy that drove him crazy. Lance’s lips continued upwards, trailing slowly over Keith’s stomach and up his chest before kissing him deeply. Keith felt Lance’s fingers dig into his hip as one hand held him steady. He moaned into the kiss while Lance entered him slowly and carefully, making sure Keith could feel every single inch of him.   
If the gasp and arch of his back was any indication, Keith was enjoying the sensation just as much. He murmured something unintelligible into Lance’s ear as the other boy slipped a hand behind Keith’s back, gripping his shoulder from behind to pull him close against Lance’s chest. His heart was beating so fast he was sure Keith could feel it too. The shifting and grinding of Keith’s hips told Lance to start moving and he didn’t have to be told twice.   
Fighting every instinct in him, Lance moved slowly although his thrust became a little rougher each time, pulling almost fully out and sliding all the way in, grinding their hips together when he bottomed out. Throwing his head back, Keith cried out wordlessly and gripped Lance’s back hard, fingernails digging into soft skin. Lance moaned at the feeling, one hand gripping Keith’s shoulder tighter, his other hand holding tightly to his hip as Keith rocked them in time with each thrust.   
“Oh fuck...Keith, Keith! Fuck!”  
He moaned in response to the sound of his name slipping from Lance’s lips, grinding his hips harder. Lance knew what he wanted, knew Keith wanted him to go faster and fuck him into the mattress and he would be more than happy to oblige him sometime. Just not right now, not this time. He murmured softly into Keith’s ear and continued to his slow and ruthless pace.  
“It’s okay, baby. I got you now. Just let go, babe. I wanna take…..oh fuck! I wanna take care of you. Oh shit that feels so good, baby.”  
Keith whined, his breath gasping and shallow. Leaning up slightly he forced his mouth onto Lance's, kissing him heatedly. It made both their heads spin with the raw intensity and Lance realised just how open Keith was with him right now. It scared and excited them both. When he finally pulled away to take a deep, gasping breath, he buried his face into the crook of Keith’s neck, hips stuttering a little before continuing at the same solid, gruelling pace. He could feel Keith’s fingers tangling in his hair and the soft kisses peppering his temple.   
“Mmm, Lance…. Oh my god, you need to stop! I’m gonna fucking cum right now if you...fuck if you keep...Oh my god, Lance!”  
Lance smiled and nipped Keith’s neck, gently soothing the bite as he ran his tongue against the small red mark. “That’s the point, babe. Just cum. It’s okay, baby. It’s okay. Cum for me, baby. Just cum for me.”  
The way Keith shouted his name and gripped him tight when he followed Lance’s suggestion was a little too much. Lance couldn't breath as he came inside the boy under him. He was faintly aware of making a strangled noise, his mouth and eyes wide open and unmoving as he rode out their orgasms before collapsing on to Keith.   
They were sweaty, sticking together and breathing hard. Lance was silent for once, Keith completely still under him. His arms had fallen limply to his sides and Lance was acutely aware of the loss of contact. Not that he could do anything yet other than lay there and collect himself. When he was finally able to move he carefully untangled his arms from around Keith and leaned up to look down at him. Keith’s face was scrunched up and his cheeks were red, eyes closed and hair plastered to his face. Lance didn’t miss the way he winced slightly when he pulled out of him, despite being slow and careful. Leaning down, Lance carefully brushed his lips over Keith’s, warmth flooding him when Keith carefully returned the kiss. Lance pulled back and grinned, watching Keith slowly open his eyes.   
“Not so bad, right?” he asked, slumping down on his side with his elbow up and his head in his hand. He watched Keith with a smile, carefully brushing dark hair from his eyes.  
“Yea…” Keith murmured, his voice soft and raspy.   
“Next time will be even better,” Lance promised, rolling onto his back and stretching all his limbs out before rolling back onto his side again. Wrapping one arm around Keith, he tugged the other boy close against his chest and kissed him long and slow. Keith’s features showed his surprise right before Lance’s lips met his own. After that he couldn't think about anything other than the warm arm around him and the solid chest against his body, the soft lips on his and the gentle hand rubbing his back.   
Keith had no idea where the time had gone when he finally pulled away from Lance’s lips and looked at the clock on the bedside table. They had been kissing for almost an hour. He’d thought it was strange that he was getting hard again in such a short time. Lance had noticed it too and his long, nimble fingers trailed gently over Keith’s cock, making him shiver as he sat up. Lance rolled onto his back and blinked up at him, his cock already waiting at attention. Keith slowly trailed his eyes up Lance’s lean body and met his eyes before shifting his weight and reaching out a hand. Lance’s eyes closed as he felt Keith’s gentle but sure touch. He groaned softly, shifting his hips but just as Keith was about to bend down he pulled away and sat up. placing a palm against the side of Keith’s face, Lance stroked his cheek bone with a thumb.  
“Don’t you want me to…?” Keith trailed off, gesturing at Lance’s crotch, eyebrows furrowed.   
“Uh, yea. I really would but uh, I wanna get you first. If that’s like...okay.”  
“What?”  
Lance blushed and looked away, clearing his throat. “I’d like to get you off first,” he repeated more softly.  
“I don’t... Uh…”  
“You don’t want me to?”  
“It’s just I never had a blow job before,” Keith murmured, looking down as he pulled his knees up to his chest.  
“What?” Lance blinked at him, making Keith flush and look away, even more self conscious.  
“Look, forget it. Just let me-”  
“No, no, wait!” Lance shifted closer, gripping Keith’s shoulders and forced him to meet his blue eyes. “C’mon, man. Please? It’ll be good, I promise.”  
Keith could never refuse that eager grin and those honest eyes. He could never say no to Lance and he didn’t really want to. “Why?” he asked anyway.  
“What do you mean? Why do you wanna blow me?”  
Keith tilted his head and furrowed his brow at Lance. “I wanna make you feel good,” he replied as though that were obvious.  
“Yea, me too,” Lance murmured as he gently pushed Keith back down on to the bed and kissed him. He didn’t pull back until he felt Keith’s body begin to relax. “I wanna make you feel good,” he murmured into Keith’s ear before pulling back and looking down at the boy under him with a questioningly expression. Keith just gazed at him before nodding and shifting a little to get comfortable against the pillows. Lance grinned, kissing Keith and slipping his tongue into his mouth before pulling away with a huge smile. “I got you, babe,” Lance winked before slowly working his way down Keith's body, planting kisses all over his skin. Keith shivered under the attention, fighting himself to keep his muscles relaxed but he had to shut his eyes tight. Watching Lance was just too much while also feeling his warm breath ghosting over Keith’s thighs.   
His dark eyes flew open when he felt Lance’s tongue slide slowly up the underside of his cock. Lance moaned softly and the vibration had Keith arching his back, reaching up to grip the pillow under his head. He bit his lip hard enough to draw some blood, Lance’s name still managing to escape. Lance moaned in response, continuing to work his tongue around Keith slowly. Without warning Keith felt himself engulfed in Lance’s mouth, strong and lanky fingers wrapped around the base and working him roughly. Keith cried out, eyes snapping open.   
“Lance, fuck!” Keith all but shouted. He almost came right then, right into Lance’s mouth without warning. Lance didn’t seem put out by that possibility and actually chuckled. At least as well as he could with Keith’s cock in his mouth. Looking down, Keith was ready to call him a jerk or an ass, something along those lines. Whatever he intended to say died on his lips as he caught sight of Lance’s face, soft lips wrapped around Keith and cheeks dusted pink. His eyes met Keith’s and the dark haired boy realised Lance had been watching him closely this whole time, reading every signal. It was too much. Throwing his head back again, Keith cried out, his hips bucking up a little. Lance made a pleased sound that vibrated through Keith and caused him to buck his hips again with the same result.  
“I’m-I’m gonna fucking...I’m gonna fucking cum Lance! Lance, Lance! Oh my god!”  
It didn’t seem like Lance was taking the warning at all seriously and simply continued working Keith to climax. He pulled back a little at the last second but still managed to catch most of it in his mouth. Lance used the back of his hand to wipe the dribble off his chin before slowly and carefully licking Keith clean.   
Keith whined at the sensation on his overstimulated cock, throwing an arm over his eyes. Lance could see that he was embarrassed but only smiled down at the other boy fondly. Keith could feel when he lifted up and hovered over him. Suddenly Lance was holding his wrist and carefully pulling his arm away from his eyes, looking down at him with a tender smile. Keith’s heart stuttered in his chest when he saw that look and he went completely still.  
“You look so fucking good,” Lance murmured quietly as he leaned forward. He knew better than to kiss him. That was just bad etiquette. He did stroke his hair back from him face and kiss the top of his head before laying on his side and stroking a finger slowly down the center of Keith’s chest. Lance tracked his finger’s progress with his eyes, letting Keith get a hold of himself.   
Keith shuddered and took in a deep breath before turning his head to look at Lance. Blue eyes met his and he smiled. Lance realised at that moment that he was wrong about Keith’s eyes. He’d thought they were black or a dark brown or blue but they were clearly a deep purple colour and he couldn't stop staring.  
Keith, like always, seemed completely oblivious to his own beauty, shifting towards Lance. He caught the other boy’s lips with his own. The kiss was long and deep, Keith’s eyes heavily lidded when he slowly pulled away. He grinned at Lance’s dazed look before leaning in and nuzzling his nose. “My turn.”  
Lance was ready to cum just from the way Keith was looking at him right now, somehow both hungry and loving. But he really really wanted to see where this was going. He watched Keith slide his tongue over Lance’s nipple before sliding down his body, gripping his hips tightly while leaning on his forearms.  
“You look so good…” Keith murmured against Lance’s lower stomach. “Mm...You’re so soft, Lance.” He kissed the other man’s inner thigh and Lance groaned. It was a conscious effort to keep his eyes open and focused on the boy currently licking up the full length of his cock.  
Keith kept eye contact as the flat of his tongue licked over the head of Lance’s cock. Arching his back, Keith propped himself up with one hand and slowly took Lance all the way into his mouth. Lance’s hips twitched but Keith kept them pinned to the bed with his other hand. Lance’s hand ghosted through Keith’s hair and slowly down his arched back.   
Encouraged by the gesture, Keith bobbed his head, deep throating Lance with more ease than he had anticipated. Lance’s cock was long, longer than Keith was used to but it was easy to keep himself relaxed, the muscles in his throat not constantly trying to contract. Lance’s moans and pants helped him keep the pace and continue to feel at ease. The way Lance called his name filled Keith with a swell of pleasure and pride he’d never felt before.   
“Keith...I’m gonna cum. I’m gonna cum! Seriously, Keith, fuck!”  
Although Keith heard him, he made no effort to stop or slow down but prepared himself. Lance’s hips jerked and suddenly Keith’s throat was flooded with warmth. He pulled off of Lance slowly with an obscene slurping noise and swallowed hard. He coughed, covering his mouth with the back of his hand before licking his lips clean.   
“Fuck, babe…” Lance groaned, covering his face with one hand but reaching his other hand out blindly and motioning for Keith to come closer. With a small chuckle, Keith took the invitation and crawled up, settling himself against Lance’s chest. He felt that familiar, lanky arm wrap around him and keep him close. Lance took a few more moments to regain his composure before kissing the top of Keith’s head and giving him a little squeeze.  
“I’m one lucky asshole,” he laughed a little to himself, making Keith flush and go completely still. He swallowed hard, trying to think of what he wanted to say. He didn’t want to ruin the moment but he knew that wasn’t exactly true. He was the lucky one. He had Lance. Lance wanted him, even though he knew about him, about what he had done and the people he’d done it with. Yet that hadn’t seemed to matter to him at all.…  
Lance seemed to know what Keith was thinking and looked down at him as Keith watched his own hand smoothing over Lance’s chest. He kissed Keith’s furrowed brow before taking the hand from his chest and kissing that too. “I think you’re beautiful, babe,” Lance murmured against Keith’s wrist.   
“I think you’re beautiful, too,” Keith mumbled, burying his face into Lance’s shoulder in embarrassment. Lance only laughed. They lay there in silence for a few moments, catching their breaths and savouring the moment until Lance sat up slowly, feeling how just stiff his muscles had gotten,   
“Why don’t we try out the jacuzzi tub?” he suggested, raising an eyebrow as he rotated his shoulder. Keith sat up slowly, working a kink out of his neck and he considered the idea before nodding.   
Twenty minutes later found them both soaking naked at each end of the tub, elbows up on the edge and each holding a glass of the champagne. Keith wasn’t much for champagne but somehow it was perfect. Lance took a long sip of his drink and closed his eyes, sighing blissfully as he sunk into the water a little further. Keith took a few moments to observe the boy across from him. Lance was gorgeous. He was always joking about his good looks but Keith wasn’t sure he really knew the extent of that. Lance opened one eye and looked at Keith questioningly.   
“What?” he asked suspiciously. Keith only shook his head.  
They both felt it, whatever this force was between them. It had grown so much stronger it was almost frightening but as they got out of the tub and toweled off, Lance started realizing there was something off with Keith. He was quieter and quieter. Lance wondered if Keith regretted getting this close, if he might want to forget this ever happened tonight. If he did...well Lance didn’t have much choice but to be okay with it. It would kill him to have a taste and then have to give it all up so he really hope it was just his insecurity jumping to conclusions.   
His anxiety grew after the two threw on the warm bathrobes without bothering with anything underneath and Lance went to use the bathroom. When he returned to the room he didn’t see Keith anywhere in the room. “Keith?” he called, heart in his throat. Did he leave?   
No, Lance caught sight of the backpack Shiro had given him with Keith’s clothes. It was still sitting on the chair next to his own where he had left them the first time he’d come into the room alone. Keith’s shoes and jacket were by the door and his clothes were still on the floor. Then Lance remembered the patio.  
“Keith?” Lance kept his voice quiet as he carefully pushed the door open and stepped out into the cold October air. It was freezing after that warm bath. Not to mention the fluffy bathrobes weren’t exactly keeping the warmth in. Keith didn’t turn or acknowledge him as Lance came onto the patio. He stepped closer, reaching a hand out. Lance hesitated before finally resting his palm on Keith’s shoulder. Keith still didn’t look at him, eyes fixed on the city lights, arms folded on the patio banister. “You alright?”  
Keith made a small noise of confirmation. Lance hesitated again, wondering what to say. “Do you want to be alone?”  
Keith didn’t respond at first before finally turning to meet Lance’s eye briefly. “No.”  
“Okay.”  
Lance moved closer, wrapping his arms around Keith and resting his chin on the other boy’s shoulder. They stood there in companionable silence. A hundred different things ran through Lance’s mind in those moments. He was starting to feel more and more anxious about Keith’s behaviour and what was wrong. His thoughts all revolved around Keith not wanting him, not wanting this. He couldn't have been more wrong. “You want to talk about it?”  
Keith didn’t reply but Lance waited patiently. His ears perked when Keith finally sighed as though readying himself to say something difficult. Keith didn’t take his eyes from the city lights and Lance found they were easier to focus on that the sinking feeling in his chest.  
“I’m an idiot.”  
Lance swallowed hard but forced a soft smile.His heart broke in his chest and he scrambled for a joke. “For fucking me? I know, most people get that feeling but…”  
“No, for fucking anyone other than you. What...what if I hadn’t been such a fucking idiot? What if that had been my first time? Can you...Can you imagine how amazing that would have been?”  
“It was still amazing…” Lance’s heart broke all over again but for a completely different reason.   
“You know what I mean!” Keith raised his voice and turned in Lance’s arms to look up at him. He gripped the front of Lance’s robe, expression serious.  
“I...I know what you mean,” Lance agreed, still not taking his arms from around Keith. He tugged him closer instead, resting a hand on the back of Keith’s head and holding him against his chest. They didn’t speak for a long time, Lance just holding him. Finally Keith’s arms circled around him in return. They stayed that way until neither of them could feel their fingers or toes in the cold. Lance gently guided Keith back into the hotel room and closed the patio door behind them.  
“Come on, babe. Let me warm you up.” Lance turned down the covers on the bed and sat, holding an arm out to Keith. The dark haired boy accepted and crawled in next to him.   
Keith curled up at Lance’s side, head on his shoulder and a leg thrown into his lap. Lance pulled the blankets up around them before reaching over and pouring them both another glass of champagne. They lay there, the TV on and clinging to each other, watching couples buying their first homes for an hour before they spoke again.  
“Why do they care so much about the wallpaper, just replace it,” Lance murmured, arm around Keith’s shoulders to keep him close. He idly kissed the top of Keith’s head as though on reflex. Something about the whole scene was just so...domestic.   
Keith chuckled and kissed Lance’s shoulder. “I dunno. Guess some people are too picky. Or too lazy.” Lance laughed and looked down at the boy in his arms, squeezing him tightly against him briefly.   
“Good birthday?” he asked softly.   
“The best.”


	5. Halloween and Day Dreams

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith and Lance are so madly in love they can't stop thinking about each other. Keith finds out something that shakes his faith in his boyfriend's feelings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is sort of short. Just one more chapter after this! Be ready for the angst!

“What are we going as for Halloween?”  
“What do you mean?” Keith frowned as he looked at Lance, fork halfway to his mouth. Hunk and Pidge both turned to him in confusion as well. Lance glanced back and forth between his friends, looking at them like he couldn’t believe it.  
“We obviously have to do a group costume! I mean I’d love to do a couples thing with Keith but there are so many possibilities with group costumes.”  
“Well I already made my suggestions,” Hunk huffed.   
“We’re not going as teletubbies,” Pidge shook her head.   
“Well what about-”  
“No. No Sailor Scouts either,” Pidge interrupted before Lance could even finish the sentence. Keith belatedly realized they had had this conversation already. “I still think Voltron is a good choice,” PIdge continued  
“Yea, but will anyone even know what we are?,” Lance pointed out.   
Keith remained silent as he ate, trying not to get himself involved. He wasn’t really into Halloween. All those people wearing masks made him uncomfortable. He did like the idea of a couple’s costume and the way Lance said that so casually made his heart flutter.  
“Keith?”  
“Huh?” Keith looked up and blinked, only now realising that Hunk had just asked him a question.  
“What do you think?” Hunk repeated. Lance leaned forward expectantly.   
Sighing, Keith set his fork down and leaned back in his chair. “Power Rangers.”  
The table was silent for a few moments until Lance and PIdge started laughing.   
“Oh my god, of course!” Lance chuckled. “It’s perfect!”  
“I’m yellow!” Hunk called dibs right away.  
“But yellow is usually a girl,” PIdge pointed out. “And I wanna be green.”  
“There is no green ranger, is there?” Hunk asked, looking at Lance. The other boy seemed deep in thought before pulling up his phone.   
“What if we’re the Ninja Storm Power Rangers?” he suggested. “We can be the wind rangers. Hunk can be yellow. I’ll be blue even though she’s a chick. Keith can be red and Pidge can be the Green Samurai Ranger!”  
“You know way too much about this…” Keith frowned, taking a look at the picture. “Who are these guys?”  
“Uh...The Thunder Rangers or something like that. Doesn’t matter. Unless…” Lance perked up, looking between Keith and Pidge. “Do you think Matt and Shiro would be into joining us? They would be perfect! Shiro can be this Crimson Ranger guy and Matt can be the Navy Ranger or whatever the hell.”  
Pidge seemed to consider that proposal, chewing thoughtfully before nodding. “I think Matt would be into that,” she said finally.   
Lance turned his hopeful gaze to Keith. “So? You think Shiro would be into a pub crawl dressed as a Power Ranger?”  
“I’ll ask…” Keith didn’t hold out much hope but that night he was pleasantly surprised when Shiro agreed with very little coercion.   
Halloween came quickly and before he knew it, Keith found himself grinding on Lance, both dressed as Power Rangers sans helmet.. Lance looked amazing in those tight leggings and mini skirt, completely unself conscious. They received tons of compliments and Keith couldn’t help but notice how many girls were hitting on Shiro. It was nice to see his brother out and enjoying himself again, laughing with Matt. He knew he had quiet get togethers with his friends after work but this was the first time he’d really been out like this since the accident. The whole thing was a big hit and Keith had to thank Lance for that.  
For his part, Lance was almost ashamed of how hot he found Keith in that red Power Ranger suit. Almost. Not enough to stop him from making out a little and grinding against him on the dance floor. Any trace of embarrassment was wiped away later that night when Keith asked him to keep his own outfit on while he rode Lance’s dick in the privacy of his bed room. Lance removed the leggings but gladly kept the rest of it on. 

Keith found himself thinking about Lance a troubling amount. Even when he was practicing his new piece, his mind wasn’t on the cords at all. It was hard not to daydream about Lance, remembering the last time they’d seen each other and wondering what he was doing at that moment. Luckily for him, Lance seemed to want to spend just as much time together. It became fairly common for Lance to bring his work into the practice room with Keith and sit on the floor, listening to him play. Rather than feel self conscious about Lance being there, it relaxed him. Although Lance’s presence did make it easier for Keith’s mind to wander...  
“Shit!” Keith stiffened on top of him and stilled. Lance looked up at him with wide eyes.   
“What?” he asked, tilting his head.   
Keith could hear the jingle of keys getting closer, heavy footsteps moving towards the apartment door. It was about the time Shiro usually got home. They really shouldn’t have taken their sweet time fooling around but no help for it now.  
“He’s home,” Keith replied, meeting Lance’s eye. Lance sighed and made like he was going to get up.  
“Wait!” Keith gripped his shoulder, pressing them back into his mattress and thrusted in hard. He hard to cover Lance’s mouth to stifle the yelp.   
“Cum, cum, cum,” Keith chanted breathily into Lance’s ear, gritting his teeth. He could feel it himself, right there. But he just needed Lance to let himself go. The keys were in the lock. The front door was opening...  
The pressure and the way Keith spoke into his ear, holding his hips tight we're all too much. Lance did as he was told, Keith’s hand clamped over his mouth to block the scream. His eyes rolled back and he shuddered as Keith did the same, both of them panting. When Lance was able to focus his eyes again, he saw Keith standing, tugging at his jeans and buttoning them up. He threw a shirt on just as Shiro’s voice came from the kitchen.   
“Keith?”  
The dark haired boy looked over his shoulder and gave Lance an apologetic smile before walking out of the room. “Just studying with Lance,” his voice came from the hall. Lance was vaguely aware of Shiro replying. He couldn’t do anything but lay there, breathing hard and feeling his cum cooling on his stomach.   
When Keith returned he had a sheepish look and a warm cloth. Without a word he kneeled on the bed and gently cleaned Lance off. He looked so fucking good like that, laying on Keith’s bed, chest heaving and face red, lips swollen and parted slightly. Completely wrecked.  
Lance’s eyes focused on Keith’s shy smile and he sat up slowly, watching the other boy toss the cloth into his hamper before leaning in for a gentle kiss.  
“Sorry about that.”  
“You better do that again sometime, babe.”  
Lance watched Keith’s face as the other boy played. He had made some good progress on his assignment but it was always nice to take a break and stare at his gorgeous boyfriend. Keith looked lost in thought but his fingers plucked out the song with ease.   
Lance’s eyes were drawn to those fingers, remembering the night before when those fingers had been wrapped around his cock. Keith kneeling between his legs as he sat on Keith’s bed, grasping his bed sheets. Keith leaned over, that pretty mouth taking in just the tip of his cock. That was it. Lance had choked out a warning while gripping Keith’s ponytail, hips bucking up. Keith swallowed and wiped his mouth as he sat back on his heels. He looked up at Lance almost shyly, watching the other boy breathing hard with flushed cheeks but a happy grin.   
“Oh my god..” Lance murmured, sounding in awe. “Where did you learn to be so good at that?”  
It was a rhetorical question but Keith’s expression darkened and he looked away while tugging the hair tie from his pony tail and letting his hair hang freely around his shoulders.   
Lance wanted to kick himself but quickly brushed it off. He stood and tugged his pants up before taking Kieth by the hand and helping him up. He pulled Keith tight against his chest and kissed him. After a second Keith returned the kiss, arms wrapping around Lance and grasping the back of his shirt tight in his hands.   
When Lance broke the kiss he didn’t pull away, just brushed Keith’s hair gently behind his ear.   
“You’re so beautiful.”  
“What?”  
Lance blinked, not realising he had said that out loud. Clearing his throat, he brushed off the embarrassment and grinned “I said you’re beautiful.”  
Keith paused and turned his face away but not fast enough to hide that little smile. Lance grinned to himself.  
Sometime during Lance’s daydream, Keith had stopped playing and was now putting his guitar away.   
“Heading home?”  
Keith glanced over his shoulder at Lance and nodded.   
“Yea. You wanna come over?”  
Lance groaned as he stood and stretched his back. “I’d love to. But I gotta meet up for my group project in an hour. Just gonna grab a quick dinner at the caf with Hunk and Pidge.”   
Keith nodded and stopped in front of Lance, giving him a long kiss, palm over Lance’s cheek. The dark haired boy smiled up at him and Lance felt breathless. “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”  
Keith stopped at the door and waved before slipping through. 

Keith didn’t usually go to many school performances. The short time he had been at school last year he’d kept mostly to himself. So he’d never seen Lance act before but he was hooked. Lance was good. He wasn’t just saying that as his boyfriends either, he was legitimately good. Could have been on broadway good. The look on Keith’s face must have given his thoughts away because Hunk chuckled and elbowed him gently during intermission.   
“He’s good, right?”  
“Yea.” Keith blushed, embarrassed that Hunk had been able to read him so easily. The other boy just laughed and nodded his head.  
“I know. I was surprised when I saw his first performance to.”  
“I haven’t been to a lot of plays before but I didn’t expect it to be that good,” Pidge piped up from Keith’s other side.   
The three laughed and joked together until the lights dimmed again and the play resumed. Keith watched intently, eyes focusing on Lance whenever he was on stage. As the play began to wind down he started to feel more and more nervous about approaching Lance after the show.   
It seemed like no time at all that the house lights came on and the cast was bowing. Keith joined the rest of the audience in a standing ovation.   
“Come on, dude. Let’s wait for Lance.”  
Keith nodded, following Hunk and Pidge. Hunk clearly knew where he was going and he and Pidge chatted and laughed as he led them out to a small area off to the side. The doors must have led to dressing rooms because every once in awhile one of the cast or crew would walk out and run up to their friends or significant other to receive hugs and praise. Keith felt more and more nervous each time the door opened, checking for that tan skin and those blue eyes. One guy caught his eye and froze, giving him a curious once over. He opened his mouth like he was about to say something to Keith before a tall man with long blond hair walked out right behind and chided the other guy to get a move on. Closing his mouth again, he looked away from Keith and continued on. Keith didn’t think much of it. That sort of thing tended to happen to him around school. He was more concerned with the fact that Lance had just walked out, making a beeline for them.  
“Hey! You were amazing, dude!” Hunk was the first to grab Lance and hug him, hauling him into the air and spinning him easily. Lance laughed as Hunk put him down. Pidge seconded the praise and gave him a light punch on the arm. Lance affectionately ruffled her hair.  
“You were great, Lance,” Keith said. He was blushing but smiling as he handed Lance the bouquet he brought him. Lance seemed surprised and his face turned red. He accepted the flowers, smelling them and grinning up at Keith through his lashes.   
“Thanks, babe.”  
Leaning forward, Lance kissed him softly before hiding his face in his flowers again. Hunk and Pidge laughed at the way Lance was at a loss for words. For once.  
“Shut up,” Lance murmured but his smile gave him away. He was beyond happy. 

“Are you going to be at home for the holidays?” Lance asked, swinging their hands. “Your foster parents’ place, I mean.” He glanced over at Keith as the two walked down the halls of the university. Keith had just finished his last final and Lance only had one more to go that afternoon. They still hadn’t talked about how Lance was going to his parent’s place for Christmas and they might not see each other for almost a month.   
“Shiro is going for a few days at Christmas. He’s working up until then,” Keith shrugged. As much as he appreciated his foster parents he just wasn’t super close with them and wasn’t overly concerned with spending a lot of time with his family over the holidays. “Why?”  
“Well Hunk and I are going home and we were thinking about getting together for New Years. Will you be around then? You can always stay if Shiro comes back here. Hunk and I can give you a ride back to school if you want,” Lance realised that he was talking fast without giving time for feedback and it might seem like he was pushing Keith. “Uh, you know. If you want to.”   
Keith was quiet but he looked up and smiled at Lance. “Yea. I’d like that,” he said softly.   
He considered what he was about to say next but shut his mouth when he saw someone approach. Keith recognized him from Lance’s drama class. One of Lotor’s fellow rich friends.   
“Hey, Lance.”  
Keith watched his boyfriend’s reaction closely. Lance looked wary as he raised an eyebrow and nodded in recognition.   
“Hey, Craig.”  
“Looks like I owe you a hundred bucks after all,” he grinned, coming to a stop in front of Keith and Lance. He shoved his hands into his pockets, gaze flicking very obviously down to their intertwined hands and then back to Lance’s face. “I did say ‘hook up’ but looks like you went beyond that. Expecting more or whatt?”  
Keith’s eyebrows shot up and he started to think his first impression of this guy was right after all.   
“What the fuck is he talking about?” Keith demanded, turning to Lance. He suddenly realized he must have subconsciously taken a step forward because he had to almost look over his shoulder to see his boyfriend behind him.   
“Huh?” Lance blinked curiously, looking from Keith to Craig and back. He shrugged his shoulders with a frown. “I’m not...Oh shit! Are you talking about...No way dude!” Lance was suddenly backing away, waving his hands in front of him and shaking his head. Keith frowned, completely at a loss as to what was going on.   
“Oh, yea I guess he wouldn't have said anything but Lance made a bet with me. I bet that he couldn't hook up with you by the end of the semester. I’m surprised you never said anything earlier, dude,” Craig turned to Lance, the corners f his mouth turning up in a smug grin.   
Lance looked like he’d just been slapped and grabbed Keith’s shoulder. “No! I said no! I didn’t say anything because I never took the bet! I swear Keith, I didn’t-”   
He wasn’t even paying attention to Craig anymore, speaking only to Keith but the other boy didn’t want to hear it. His body had gone completely cold as everything clicked into place. No wonder someone like Lance suddenly wanted him. He wanted the money. Made sense, he was a broke student after all. But knowing Lance he was probably in it for the bragging rights more than anything. He shrugged Lance’s hand off his shoulder roughly, noticing the way those blue eyes teared up. Keith was about to storm off but heard Craig laugh again.   
“You’re such a slut but I still didn’t expect you to actually do it! Oh my god, Lance you really are something else,” Craig grinned at Lance. Keith saw his mouth moving and knew Craig as saying something else after that but the ringing in his ears blocked it out. Even though Lance didn’t love him, probably didn’t actually even like him, that didn’t change his own feelings towards the other boy.   
Keith’s fist came out of nowhere, landing a solid punch that made Craig’s head snap back with the force of it. The second punch, this time to his stomach, knocked the wind out of him and landed him on his ass.  
“Keith!” Lance shouted, trying to run after him. Keith stopped and shoved Lance away by the shoulders. Lance flinched but Keith knew he could never hit him, no matter how badly he wanted Lance to feel as hurt as he did.   
“Leave me the fuck alone! I never want to say your face again!” Keith shouted instead. He had no idea that those words caused so much more pain than any hit could have.


	6. Happily Ever After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance tries everything he can think of to fix Keith's broken heart.

When Shiro came home and found Keith slumped on the ground, back against the wall in the hallway, he knew something was horribly wrong. Without a word he sat down beside his brother. He wasn’t able to see Keith’s face, his knees pulled up to his chest, head down and arms wrapped around them.   
Shiro was there for an hour before Keith finally spoke, everything falling out in one big tumble. He waited patiently until Keith was finished before putting his arm around his brother.   
“Do you really think Lance would do that?”  
“Yes. What other explanation could there be? Why else would Lance want to be with me? I knew there was something weird about it.”  
“That’s crazy…” Shiro murmured, shaking his head. He cleared his throat and spoke more clearly. “You’re a great guy, Keith. It makes more sense that Lance would genuinely love you than him making a childish bet like that. You have to see it…”  
“I don’t have to see shit!”  
Shiro didn’t respond, just squeezed Keith’s shoulder. Keith shrugged him off and stood, stomping to his bedroom and slamming the door shut. Even though his music was turned up loud, Shiro knew he was sobbing in there. Not for the first time, his heart hurt for his little brother. 

Lance lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. Hunk was talking to him but he didn’t really hear any of it. He knew he was telling Lance that he had to eat something but he just didn’t care. He’d bombed that final. Maybe even the class. It didn’t matter. Nothing did. He wasn’t even sure why he bothered to show up for the test other than his body just taking him there on autopilot while his mind tried to protect him from the pain by going numb.   
“You’ve been like this since you got back from your final yesterday. At least shower, dude. You gotta pack. We’re leaving after my final in two days…” Hunk stopped speaking when Lance rolled onto his side and turned his back to his best friend.  
Hunk sighed and put a hand on top of Lance’s head. “Love you, man.”  
Lance heard the door open and close and knew Hunk was gone. He glanced at his phone. 16 unanswered text messages, 14 unanswered Facebook messages and 12 missed calls. He’d even tried Pidge and Hunk’s phones and Facebook accounts. Nothing. Shiro hadn’t returned any of his messages or calls either.  
Lance tossed his phone onto the floor and sobbed his heart out for the fifth time in the past 15 hours.

Desperate times called for desperate measures and Lance had never been more desperate in his life. He didn’t think twice before throwing his dignity out the window and messaging Lotor. Luckily the senior happened to be on campus for an exam that day and had a few minutes to spare for Lance’s begging.  
Surprisingly, he didn't even make Lance get on his knees in the middle of the library after explaining what had happened between him and Keith. If Lance didn’t know better he would have thought Lotor was eyeing him with actual concern. Sighing, the senior turned back to his laptop and tapped something out.  
“Okay, I sent him a message on Facebook,” Lotor said, leaning back and looking at Lance. “I don’t know if he’ll listen to me. We never even met but I told him the truth, that I was there and you never took the bet.”  
“Thank you.Thank you.Thank you!!” Lance held his palms together and looked at the ceiling as though in prayer before gripping Lotor’s shoulders. “Thank you so much!”  
“I don’t know if it helps-” Lotor said slowly, his mouth a thin line.  
Lance just shook his head. “It’s something. I just want him to know it wasn’t true…”  
Lotor turned back to the screen with no comment before looking up at Lance. “He read it. No response. Looks like he blocked me right after that…”

Keith lifted his head from the couch cushion when he heard his phone ping. Looking down at it, he just stared for a few seconds, wondering if it was Lance again. Keith tentatively reached down and unlocked the screen with one finger, poking at his phone until the Facebook message popped up.  
Lotor: Hey Keith. I know you don’t know me but I’m in Lance’s drama class. I was there with Lance and Craig when he proposed the bet and Lance said no. He thinks its really important you know that.  
Keith blocked the stranger and rolled on to his side, facing the back of the couch and crossing his arms around his body. He hated that he couldn't get that message out of his head.

The next day Lance tried something even more desperate.  
His pulse raced when he saw Shiro walk out the apartment door. The older man looked shocked to see Lance slumped there against the wall, half standing and half crouched. He was hunched into himself, shoulders down and dark circles under his eyes. He was paler too, empty and just not Lance.  
“You should stay away, Lance,” Shiro said, watching with narrowed eyes as the lanky boy pushed off the wall and rushed over. Shiro looked down at him coldly, clearly not open to listen to anything Lance might have to say. “I can’t believe you would do this to Keith.”  
“I wouldn’t Shiro! I would never hurt him, ever! This is...it’s all a misunderstanding. Please, I have to talk to him. I just want to explain.”  
Shiro regarded him warily for a moment, watching Lance’s eyes mist over. He looked like shit. He looked like Keith.“He’s torn up, Lance. He’s hurting and he doesn’t want to see you.”  
Lance made a small noise that might have been a sob but he took a moment to steady himself and remembered to breath before responding. He squeezed his eyes shut and when he opened them again they were clearer.   
“I-I know that and that’s why I have to talk to him. I don’t care if he doesn’t want to be with me anymore, I’m not here to beg him to take me back. It’s killing me but if I could just explain….I need him to know it’s not true. I need Keith to know I meant everything. I never fucking lied to him! I fucking love him, Shiro! I fucking love him so fucking much! I’d rather see him happy with someone else than miserable with me. I swear I will never talk to him again if he doesn’t want me to as long as he understands. As long...as long as he’s okay…” Lance’s voice broke finally. He was fighting with himself, trying to get it all out. He needed Shiro to understand what he was trying to say but this hurt worse than anything Lance had ever experienced before. Taking a deep breath, he covered his mouth and gathered himself. Shiro watched closely, the fingers on his real hand twitching to reach out and touch Lance’s shoulder but he held back, waiting. Once he was calm enough, Lance looked up and met Shiro’s gaze steadily.   
“I can deal with a broken heart. I can’t deal with Keith having one. Not because of me. Not because of anything. I need to make it okay.”  
The silence seemed to stretch on for eternity but Lance forced himself to hold Shiro’s gaze before the older man’s eyes slowly dropped to Lance’s chest. He was gripping the front of his shirt, right over his heart, the way Keith had a habit of doing to calm himself. Shiro looked up and met his eyes again.   
“I’ll talk to him.”

“No.”  
“Keith-”  
“No fucking way, Shiro!” Keith shouted, voice breaking and tears streaming down his face. The fact that he was crying made everything so much worse. He hated to cry in front of people. Shiro barely counted anymore but it still bothered him. Despite knowing how dumb it was, Keith couldn’t help feeling it made him look weak. He hated to show that anything actually bothered him, was able to get under his skin. Least of all Lance, someone who had manipulated him, used him and crushed him.   
“Keith, listen to me,” Shiro said, suddenly raising his voice and grasping Keith’s shoulder. His little brother looked down at his feet before but Shiro waited for him to meet his eyes. “I honestly think he means it. I don’t think he really made a bet with anyone. He….Lance loves you, Keith. Everyone could see that. If you want to break up that’s fine. I understand that, but you need to at least hear him out and get some closure. I-I can’t see you like this anymore, Keith.”  
Keith looked away and bit his lip, chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. He clutched his shirt in an effort to calm himself. Shiro recognized the start of a panic attack and wrapped his arm around his little brother’s shoulders, holding him close. Keith buried his face in Shiro’s chest and let himself sob. They hadn’t been in this position for a long time, not since Keith graduated high school. 

Shiro had gone back inside about an hour ago and Lance was freezing but he just pulled his jacket tighter around himself and huddled into the corner of the building to reduce the wind chill. He couldn’t leave, not when he was so close. Even if Shiro came back and said Keith had refused, Lance wanted to be there. With nothing else to do, Lance flipped through all the pictures of Keith he had on his phone. Of course, Lance being the photographer that he was had taken a lot. Each one brought tears closer and closer to the surface.   
Lost in his memories, Lance was startled to feel a hand on his shoulder and jumped, nearly dropping his phone. Shiro raised an eyebrow but made no comment, only nodding his head towards the door of the apartment building.   
“He’ll talk,” he said simply, moving to unlock the door and hold it open for Lance. “I’m headed out to the store so you two can have some time alone. Just…”  
“Thank you, Shiro,” Lance breathed, holding himself back from running through the door at full speed. “I promise, I swear I won’t bug him.”  
Shiro nodded, motioning Lance through the door. Once inside, Lance felt the relief dissipate and a whole different wave of nerves take hold in his chest. What if it didn’t work? What if Keith beat the shit out of him instead? As long as something helped Lance wouldn't complain.   
He had to stop outside the apartment door and let his breathing even out before knocking gently. There was silence in the apartment for a few beats Lance thought Keith might not open the door at all. When he did, it made Lance’s heart skip a beat.   
Keith was paler than usual but his eyes were dry. His baggy sweat pants rode low on his hips and he had the hood of his red sweater up. He met Lance’s gaze for a second or two before stepping aside. Lance walked in without a word.  
“You look like shit,” Keith said.   
“I feel like shit.”  
“Good.”  
“Yea.”  
Keith was surprised that Lance actually agreed. He stood silently and waited for more. Despite what he said, he still loved Lance and felt that familiar ache in his heart whenever Lance had a sad look. He wanted so bad to reach out and hold him and kiss him just at the corner of his mouth, watch it turn up in a smile and hear that familiar laugh. He wanted Lance to grin and tackle hug him to the ground, peppering his face with kisses. But Lance wouldn't do that, would he?  
He had no idea that was exactly what Lance wanted to do as well, hug and kiss Keith until he smiled, until he laughed. Neither of them moved a muscle for a long stretch before Lance took a deep breath.  
“You didn’t have to tell me you loved me you know.”  
Lance blinked in surprise, unsure if he had really just heard Keith speak or not but the other boy continued, crossing his arms over his chest in a closed off stance. “You didn’t need to take me to that hotel either, or do any of that stuff. Why didn’t you just fuck me that day I asked if you wanted to. You could have got your money a lot sooner and not dragged me through all that. You lost more money than you got anyway with that stupid birthday stunt.” Keith was on a roll now and Lance just stood there with his mouth hanging open. “That was just fucked up, you know. I can understand everything but that. I still don’t know what the fuck you were thinking. That’s what I’m mad about I guess. You didn’t have to fucking lie to me like that. You didn’t have to pretend. You could have just asked me to fuck you. That’s the worst part you know, I liked you a lot. I would have done it if you just asked.”  
“I didn’t want to fuck you!” Lance shouted, startling Keith a little with the sudden force of it. He recovered quickly and shook his head.   
“I know you didn’t,” Keith replied, eyeing Lance coldly. He squeezed his folded arms together tightly, withdrawing into himself. “It was for that stupid bet. That’s why I don’t understand why you did any of that. If you didn’t want to be with me then...then why bother?”  
Lance spluttered, unsure what part of that to address first. He felt like his brain was just misfiring all over the place, wanting to grab Keith and not let go but knowing he couldn't do that.   
“Because I fucking love you, idiot!”  
Keith snorted and shook his head in response. Lance felt rage welling up in him. This whole thing was so fucking stupid! How could Keith think there was any truth at all in this story? It didn’t make any sense. He said so himself!   
“Why is it easier for you to believe that I wanted to fuck you for a stupid fucked up bet? Is it really that hard to believe that I just fucking love you!” Lance wanted to pull his own hair out as he shouted at Keith. He wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake him until he saw sense.   
“Yes!” Keith shouted back, his face darkening. “It is that fucking hard to believe!”  
Lance paused and seemed to visibly deflated as he looked at the boy in front of him. He took in those familiar features, pain and anger evident everywhere he looked. “Why?” he asked, voice soft.  
“Because no one fucking loves me! Not my mom, Not my fucking Dad! Not you! No one loves me!” Keith didn’t seem to get the memo about lowering his voice and was still shouting. The words were enough to break Lance’s heart on their own but Keith’s deliverance, so much anger and conviction without a hint of self pity was too much. He believed these words, said them as fact. Something inside Lance snapped and he grabbed Keith by the shoulders.   
Keith’s eyes widened and his natural instincts kicked in, moving to push Lance back, thinking he was about to hit him. He wasn't expecting to be pulled in for a hug and his arms fell back uselessly to his sides. He was too shocked to do anything but stand there.  
“I’m sorry,” Lance said, quickly letting go and stepping away, hands in the air. “Sorry, sorry! I just...Keith I love you so much. This time without you...I just want to curl up and fucking die. I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. I can’t stop thinking about you, I-” Lance cut himself off, not wanting to guilt Keith into accepting his apology or taking him back. He wanted Keith happy, or at least as happy as he could be either with Lance or not. “It doesn’t matter. Look, I’m here because I needed to tell you the truth. Yes, he bet me a hundred bucks I couldn’t hook up with you. But I told him no way. I did all that stuff because I liked you Keith, because I fell in love with you. I fell so fast and so fucking hard it made my head spin. I understand if you don’t think you can trust me anymore, if you don’t want to be with me.” Lance fought to keep his vice steady and looked up to meet Keith’s eyes.  
Keith watched Lance closely, having taken another step back after the hug. His back was to the wall and his sharp eyes caught every movement. Survival instincts were up but at this moment Lance didn’t look anything like a threat. He looked vulnerable.   
“I just really really need you to know that I do love you. That I never lied to you or tried to manipulate you. Everything was real for me, Keith. I didn’t come here to beg for you to take me back. I just can’t see you hurting, bab- Keith. You don’t deserve that. I can’t sit back and let you feel like this.”  
Lance finally allowed his gaze to drop away, swallowing hard. He looked down at Keith’s socks, blinking back the wetness gathering at the corners of his eyes. Keith didn’t respond. Didn’t even move. When Lance looked up at him, Keith was just standing and watching him, completely silent. Lance couldn't read the expression on his face.   
“That’s all,” Lance whispered, face relaxing into a fond smile. “If you don’t want me, I understand. I just hope you can believe me and know that I always loved you. That I still do. You need to know that you’re….You’re a lot easier to love than you think and so much harder to forget than you could ever know.”  
Lance turned towards the door, ready to go, to walk out of Keith’s life forever. He found himself honestly hoping that Keith would find someone else. Someone to love him as much as Lance did, someone to treat him right and make him happy.  
“Lance.”  
He paused, hand on the doorknob and turned slowly towards Keith. The other boy hadn’t moved but when he felt Lance’s questioning gaze, Keith slowly turned his head towards him. Lance swallowed hard when he saw the way Keith’s dark eyes misted over. What he wouldn't give to brush the hair from his face and kiss that look away for good.  
“You mean it?”  
“Yea, buddy. I mean it.”  
“You still want me?”  
“Baby, I’m always going to want you.”  
Keith’s stony demeanor cracked just a little as the corner of his mouth quirked up the smallest bit. He hesitated before taking a step forward and opening his arms to Lance. The taller boy stood stone still before his face broke into a huge grin. Without warning he leapt at Keith and gathered him in his arms, managing to lift him up as he kissed his cheeks, his forehead, nose, chin and finally his lips as he set Keith’s feet back on the ground. Keith returned the kiss and as they both pulled away slowly, he rested his forehead against Lance’s. They smiled at each other like a couple of goofballs.  
Lance knew that it wasn’t that easy to change Keith’s perspective of himself and the world around him but it was a start. He was going to spend the rest of his life showing Keith just how much he was worth and just how much Lance loved him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys didn't think think I was going to end this with angst. These boys always deserve a happy ending! Hope you guys enjoyed it!


End file.
